Chase-ing Tails
by PupPupGo
Summary: When people who know him think of Chase, they think of a strong and brave police pup, responsible and mature. But.. in the face of his biggest secret, is he really that grown up? (Romance/Comedy with suggested things, but nothing M or T Rated, since, y'know, they are basically children). Chase X Skye story.
1. Chapter 1: Unwanted Romance

**Hey Everyone. Let me start off first by saying a MASSIVE thank you to everyone who read Burning Responsibility. (Even those who sent me pretty rude messages, thanks for the views anyways :) ). I really appreciate everyone's feedback. Now, that story took me a number of months to complete, and I do not have the aim to do so with this one. I will upload as often as I can. I have until the 13th of January before I head back off to Uni, so technically free time, but I do have an assignment to do as well, and that takes priority.**

 **I think this story will be no longer than 3 chapters, 4 at most! I really cannot do another long one again, and in fact, I was not planning on doing another story full stop. I had some ideas, this being the shortest one.**

 **I'm not usually one for fluff pieces, but since it's Christmas, I figured a lighthearted one couldn't hurt. Nothing massively dramatic is gonna happen in this one like in Burning Responsibility.**

 **Thanks guys, you're all the best.  
PupPupGo xx**

* * *

"So uhhh.. you wanna go to the park? Just.. eh.. just you and me?" Chase asked, looking straight into his own reflection on the lookout doors. He momentarily cringed, realising how awful the delivery of his line had been. "Yeah.. great job Chase. She'll really dig the scared puppy routine". The German Shepherd sank onto his front paws, looking out the door onto the drive. As usual, his friends were out there, doing what they did best. Marshall rolling and tripping over whatever item he could find, Zuma laying starfished out in the sun, Rocky rifling through the dumpsters, Rubble digging for... well who knows what for? And of course, Skye.

Chase felt his heart soften, looking out at the pilot pup, who was gracefully diving in and out of trees with her wings. Everything about her was beautiful to the Shepherd. Her rose-coloured eyes, her strawberry smelling fur.. It was at this point that Chase began to feel like he was being weird.  
"Who sits staring at people, thinking about how they smell?" Chase asked himself, quickly sitting back up and turning his back to the doors. "I just need to ask her. I need to just walk up to her and be honest". Chase began pacing, his own mumbling blocking out the sound of the lookout doors swooshing open behind him. "Or.. or! I could just walk up and.. I could just walk up and kiss her. Just on the cheek, if she doesn't like me that way, it could just be a friendly kiss. Yeah!" He suddenly stopped talking, feeling a paw tap him on his shoulder. "Screw it!" Chase spun around quickly, letting his own muzzle come in contact with Skye's. He felt a momentary bliss, before he heard something. Chuckling. And it sounded more masculine than Skye's would be. Chase opened his eyes, seeing a pair of amber ones staring straight back. Instantly, he let out a muffled yelp and back away, spitting furiously and wiping his mouth with his paws.  
"Uhh... Chase, you kiss Skye like that dude, and she'll have no choice but to fall for you", Zuma said with a grin, before he began laughing.  
"Zuma?! What the heck? Why'd you ki- ugh", Chase gagged, causing Zuma to laugh more.  
"In case you weren't looking, which you weren't, you kissed me. I was just on my way to the kitchen dude". Chase continued to whine and wipe his mouth, causing Zuma to laugh harder.

With another familiy whoosh, the lookout doors opened. Marshall scanned over the scene laid out before him, and cocked his head. To one side, he saw Zuma laughing uncontrollably, to the point of tears, and one the other, he saw a visibly displeased Chase, who began to lick the ground in a vain attempt to clean his mouth out. "Chase.. thats really unsanitary". Zuma looked up, and then back at Chase. Chase looked over at Marshall, continuing to lick the floor beneath him. "Seriously Chase. We sit on that, and in case you haven't noticed", Marshall turned to his side a little, "none of us exactly wear pants". Zuma's laughter stopped for a second as he looked back at Chase who simply pulled his tongue back into his mouth and plunged his face into the nearest water bowl. Zuma fell onto his back, eyes streaming and his laughter infecting Marshall too, who began to chuckle confusedly along with the lab. "So, uhh, what exactly did I miss?" Marshall asked. Almost instinctively, Chase's head yanked itself from the water.  
"Zuma, I swear, you tell him anything, and I will pop your hovercraft with you in it". Zuma sat back up, his laughter slowing down as he glanced between Chase's look of loathing and Marshall's look of curiosity. His laugh slowed down to a chuckle, and then he sighed happily. Chase continued to stare, prompting Zuma to grin back and just wave a paw, signalling to the Shepherd that he wasn't going to say a thing. Chase got the message and stood up, shaking the water from his head. The room fell awkwardly silent as Chase, Zuma and Marshall looked at each other. Chase rolled his eyes, and stood up, turning towards the door to leave. The second Chase's back was turned, Zuma opened his mouth.  
"Chase kissed me", Zuma said, looking at Marshall. In almost a blink, a tan and brown blur shot across the room, throwing itself and Zuma into the bean bags. Zuma continued to laugh and Chase buried him under the soft furnishings, sitting on them for good measure. Marshall rolled his eyes, laughing slightly.

He looked up at Chase, who was comfortable sat on top of a mound of bean bags, which was shifting ever so slightly from the struggles of the lab beneath them. "So.. Chase". Chase looked at Marshall.  
"Nothing. It was nothing. What kiss I don't even know what you're talking about".  
"Hey.. I wasn't that bad was I?" Zuma's head popped out from between a red and blue bag, prompting Chase to throw another in it's place, gaining laughs from both Zuma and Marshall.  
"Chase?" Marshall asked, looking up at him. Chase turned his head away. "Chase?" Marshall asked again with a varied cadence. "Fine, if you won't tell me or Zuma why... maybe you'll tell another pup?" Chase's head flicked back to looking at the dalmatian. "Rubble maybe? Or Rocky? They're pretty fun to talk to, oh oh, what about Ryder?", Marshall said to himself with a sarcastic tone in his voice, turning around and heading towards the doors. Chase watched,  
"Marshall, please!"  
"Ohhhh, y'know who's good with all this?"  
"Marshall, stop."  
"I think Skye might be able to- ooof", Marshall felt something on top of him, looking up, he saw that Chase had leapt halfway across the room, landing over him sideways. Zuma popped his head through the top of the pile and snorted at the scene before him.  
"Gee Chase, moving a bit quick awren't we? Kissing one second and now you're trying to m-"  
"Zuma, I will fill your diving tanks with helium". Zuma fell back into the pile laughing.

"Please Marshall. Don't." Marshall smiled, realising he had struck that all important nerve he was looking for. It wasn't exactly a secret that Chase had a crush on the pilot pup. He practically drooled when she was around. Looking back, in any rescue where Skye seemed to be in danger, heck, even her own rescue*, Chase showed a bit more... compassion towards the cockapoo than any of his male counterparts.  
"Yeah.. guessed so".  
"Am I really that obvious?" Chase asked, standing back up. Marshall just nodded.  
"Dude, if you were any more obvious, you wouldn't need the siren on your twuck, just Skye within your eyesight". Chase looked back down at Marshall, who stood back up.  
"Let's face it Chase, even most of my wipeouts are more subtle than your crush on her." Marshall said, wrapping a paw over his friend's shoulder as Chase sat down again.  
"If you all knew- wait.. does Skye.. know?" Chase asked, looking at both Zuma and Marshall. Zuma shrugged.  
"Yeaahhhnoooo... maybe? We never exactly... asked? Everest does though... and Tracker, and neither of them have been around you as long as Skye has, heck, not even Zuma, Rocky or Rubble have, and they've known for ages. I think it's a safe bet to assume that she.. uh.. she does". Marshall said. Chase collapsed to the ground into a heap.

"I must look like a total idiot" Chase said.  
"Yep!" Zuma yelled across the room.  
"Not helping, Zuma!" Marshall yelled back.  
"What? I'm just being honest. Wyder always says to be honest!"  
"Not in every situation, dude". Marshall said before turning back to Chase. "Chase.. what if she does know? How's that a bad thing?"  
"How's it a bad thing?!" Chase sat back up in response, "It means for almost every day that I've seen her, I've been trying my absolute hardest to not look like a lovesick goofball in front of her, and apparently, she's known all along. She must thing I'm a coward for not talking to her". Marshall sighed in response.  
"Chase. One, we're pups. Relationships aren't exactly on the front of our minds all the time, especially when we're pups that fight fires and rescue people stranded at sea. Two, I think it's actually quite polite of you to hide it for this long, even hiding it badly". Chase groaned at that last part. "And three.. no actually, I can only think of two". Chase rolled his eyes and flopped his head down onto his front paws.

Marshall sat and thought for a moment, watching as Zuma comically pulled his rear end from the heap of bags in the corner. "Well.." Chase looked up to Marshall, but still kept laying down. "What if we just ask her?"  
"Are you crazy!?" Chase yelled, bolting back up.  
"No, I meant me or Zuma, or Rubble, or heck, even Ryder. Or maybe Everest might be-"  
"Marshall.. I don't want her to know".  
"Well in that case dude", Zuma joined the two, shaking foam beads from his fur, "Skye's never gonna date you. Because.. y'know, she'll never know", Zuma said. Marshall opened his mouth to speak, but closed it and looked at Chase, simply nodding in agreement.  
"He isn't wrong".  
"Ughhhhhh", Chase held his paws over his eyes. "I don't want anyone telling her. I'll tell her", he proclaimed triumphantly, but then sank a litle, "eventually. When I feel better about it".

Zuma and Marshall looked at each other. "Chase, dude. Look we only wan-"  
"Paw Patrol, to the lookout". Zuma sighed and walked towards the elevator. Marshall stood up to join him, but stopped, seeing Chase sat not moving.  
"Uhh, hello? Mr super police pup spy guy? Ryder's calling".  
"I know. I heard", Chase responded, standing up lazily and slumping towards the elevator. "Please guys, I don't know how she'd respond. I can't risk it. Don't tell her". Marshall nodded and then looked at Zuma.  
"Alwight fine. I won't tell anyone. About Skye.. but that kiss.. Nah, I'm keeping that for your next birthday. I'm sure Wyder will let me see the surveillance footage". Chase rolled his eyes and playfully slapped the younger lab around the head.

"Awww.. did we miss the wipeout?" The elevator doors closed as Rubble stepped through last.  
"Actually, Rubble, I didn't wipeout this time". Marshall answered proudly.  
"Well that's just boring", Skye said as the elevator began to move upwards.  
"Hey, I put a lot of effort into my wipeouts, maybe you guys will appreciate them more if I do them less often".  
"I think we'd all appreciate that, Marshall", Rocky said, followed by everyone laughing along.

* * *

 _Season 2 Episode 24-B: Pups Save Skye_

* * *

 _ **Really wasn't kidding about it being shorter. My previous story had chapters that were each at LEAST 7000 words, (I think one or two might not have hit that limit. So sue me). I had a lot of requests towards the end of my last story to have more relationship things between Chase and Skye. So I figured I'd made Chase super awkward around Skye in the next chapter. Is that a decent idea? Idk lemme know. Anyways, thanks guys. Have a good Christmas and New Year**_

 _ **~PupPupGo xx**_


	2. Chapter 2: Mission imPAWssible

**Hey guys. Got more support than I was expecting for this. Trust me guys, it's pretty much just a way for me to stop the pestering for a Chase X Skye fic. I'm sorry if it's not very impressive. Honestly, I'm focusing more on humour more than the romance itself. I'm not good with that mushy stuff. (anyone who is, feel free to give some advice here). I did briefly touch on relationships in Burning Responsibility, e.g. Zuma X Rocky, and other relationships strongly hinted towards or mentioned here and there as already established things. Think I might struggle to make Chase's eventual confession not seem immensely cheesy.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Mission imPAWssible.

"Paw Patrol ready for action, Ryder sir". Indeed, as the shepherd claimed, the Paw Patrol was ready for action. Sat in an orderly row, the six pups awaited their briefing and instructions, each eagerly waiting to be chosen.  
"Sorry to interrupt whatever.. was going on downstairs", Ryder said, looking suspiciously towards Chase, Marshall and Zuma. Zuma and Marshall looked confused but Chase blushed beneath his brown fur. "It's a messy one today pups. And let me start off first by saying, Rocky, you won't be needed for this one, so you can continue avoiding water". The grey mixed breed grinned and threw his paws into the air. "Until your bath tomorrow evening". Slowly, he pulled his paws back down and looked flatly at Ryder with a ' _really?'_ kind of expression. The other pups laughed, as did Ryder.

Ryder pressed a button and the screen slipped down into view. "Okay pups, after the recent strange weather that hit us, the ground has been pretty unstable. And thanks to a certain purple-hat-wearing mayor deciding to build his own kind of cabin in the forest, the ground became so unstable, it's caused a landslide and caused a nearby river to overflow". Instead of their usual gasp, the pups let out an annoyed sigh, seeing the icon of Mayor Humdinger pop up on screen. "Humdinger has already fled, of course", Ryder rolled his eyes. "For this mission, we're gonna need to move as much of the dirt out of that river and bring the water level back to normal. Rubble, using your aquatic-rig, you're gonna push it back over the edge of the river, building up the banks again".  
"Rubble on the double"  
"I suggest you go and get your rig from the beach whilst I brief the rest of the pups". Rubble nodded and jumped down the slide, landing in his normal rig and accelerating down towards the shore. "Chase", the police pup stepped forward slightly hearing his name, "I need you to block off the surrounding roads, in case more water spills out or the land begins to shift again. Keep the area clear".  
"Chase is on the case!"  
"Skye! Obviously, all of this displaced land and water has pushed a lot of animals out of their homes", Ryder showed a picture of the mess, showing rabbits, foxes, birds, owls and more sat around in the mud, all of the pups gasped at the sight. "I need you to lift as many of them out as you can",  
"This pup's gotta fly!" Chase and Skye turned to head towards the slide, but stopped upon hearing one more name.  
"And Zuma!"  
"What?" Chase said, a bit louder than he expected.  
"Er.." Ryder looked over at Chase, who just causally shrugged. "Er, Zuma. Your hovercraft is the best choice for getting across this muddy terrain and flooded streets. You can help Skye relocate the stranded animals!"  
"Let's div-"  
"Letmedohisjob!" Ryder and Zuma looked at him. Zuma looking somewhat annoyed that he interrupted his catchphrase. Marshall and Rocky looked at each other. Rocky looked confused, but Marshall seemed concerned, almost a little angry.  
"Dude, what gives?"  
"Actually, yeah? Why Chase?" Ryder asked, his voice becoming more sceptical sounding by the second.  
"Well.. um.. well" Chase wracked his brains for a reason, knowing if Zuma was around Skye, something was bound to happen. And he was out of bean bags now too. Looking around, it came to him. "Well... I've had more experience.. with animals. Birds seem to like me, and I've won herding competitions. Maybe animals would be more comfortable with me?" Ryder thought for a second.  
"Whilst that might be true, Chase, we still need a pup to sort out the traffic",  
"Wyder.. if loverboy over here wants to play with the bunnies, we can trade jobs. I can dwive Chase's cwuiser, and I'm sure he can drive my Hovercwaft.. Wight, Chase?" Zuma interjected, sounding both angry and sarcastic at the same time. Chase gulped, and resented the namecalling.  
"Uhh...Yeah, sure... I can do that." Zuma smiled at his uneasy response.  
"Cool, pass the hat", Zuma said with an extended paw.

"They're acting strange", Skye said to Marshall and Rocky. Ryder walked over.  
"Couldn't have said it better myself Skye.. I know they get competitive, but this is a whole other level". The four looked over to Chase and Zuma in concern, but then began laughing.  
"Uhh, Zuma?"  
"Yeah yeah, I know dude". The two looked at themselves. Zuma dressed in Chase's blue vest which was far too loose for his smaller body and sagged across his stomach. "It's a bit roomy".  
"Wish I could say the same", Chase said breathlessly. Zuma couldn't help but laugh at Chase as he tried to undo the zipper on the orange uniform, which was clearly too tight for the shepherd.

"Pups, I hate to interrupt your dress-up session, but we do actually have a mission here".  
"Sorry Ryder"  
"Sowry Wyder". Both pups switched back to their uniforms, and jumped down the slide into their respective rigs, before jumping out of them and swapping. As Zuma passed Chase, he smiled. "Y'know Chase, that wasn't weally subtle either". Chase looked at him and then slapped himself in the face, realising that he basically begged to work with Skye, right in front of Skye. "Learn to twust me a little dude. I said I'm not gonna tell her, and I'm not gonna tell her".  
"I'm sorry Zuma",  
"Whatever dude. Good luck driving the rig". Zuma said laughing to himself as he jumped into Chase's cruiser and set off. Chase jumped into the slightly more snug seat of the hovercraft.  
"How hard can it be? It's just some big fans and a balloon". Chase started the engines and felt his hat get pulled off his head and stuck against the fans behind him. "Wow, ok that's got some pull", Chase gulped and pressed the accelerator. "This isn't so bad". Zuma sped past, clearly more confident than Chase was on someone else's rig.  
"Slow down as you go awound corners, or you'll end up in a twee!" Zuma yelled over the sound of the fans. Again, Chase gulped.

* * *

As the team approached the site, they all saw what a mess the landslide had made. Rubble had already arrived, (thanks to Zuma and Chase's little spat), and began shovelling some of the mess out of the road. It was a mess. Trees had fallen across the road, and where Rubble hadn't cleared, there wasn't a road, just mud. Lots of mud. As Ryder thought, there were various animals moving around the area, unsure of what to do or where to go.  
"I've called Katie and Farmer Yumi in too. They'll be here to look at the animals when we get them free. Though now I'm seeing it for myself, maybe I should call Marsh-" Ryder stopped at the sound of a loud thump. Turning around, he saw Chase, sat in Zuma's hovercraft, sat more or less on top of a fallen tree.  
"Sorry! I can't find the brakes!"  
"Told you that'd happen. There aren't any dude. You gotta reverse the fans to slow down". Chase looked around, everyone was looking at him. Including Skye. So if he didn't look like a total idiot before, he sure felt like one now.  
"There you go Chase", Rubble lifted the hovercraft off of the tree and back onto the road.  
"Thanks.. Rubble". Ryder looked around at the pups.  
"Okay, this mission is far too big for wanting to try new things like this. Chase, Zuma, swap back. Sorry Chase. You've made a good point but at the moment, we just don't have the time to teach you how to drive Zuma's rig". Chase looked down at his paws and fidgeted a little bit, then sighed. He knew Ryder made a more-than valid point.  
"Okay Ryder.." The pup hopped out, letting Zuma jump back in and almost effortlessly pull the rig out of the mud and back onto the cleared area. Similarly, Chase hopped into his cruiser.  
"Alright pups.. Get to work! You all know what to do"  
"Right!" They all said in unison. Rubble turned around and continued to push the dirt further down the hill towards the river banks, attemtping to raise them and stop this flooding. As he headed further down the road, the water became deeper, to the point of Chase's rig becoming redundant.

Chase stopped and turned around. "Ryder, I can't get to the other end of this road. I'll have to block this end and find another way around", Chase said through his pup tag and awaited a response.  
" _Ok Chase, see you on the other side!_ " Chase took one last look towards Zuma who was sat on the surface of the water, using his head to push a sheep towards the shore. He then looked up to Skye who sat patiently in the air waiting for a family of rabbits to swim above a net she had lowered down. He loved the way the air from her copter blades made her curly and golden fur bounce, and how she smiled as she saw the small creatures below safely leave the water. Chase shook his head and snapped out of it. "C'mon Chase. Ryder's right. We don't have time for this". Throwing some cones across the road, Chase floored it and headed uphill towards the higher road.

Zuma watched the blue police cruiser disappear past what was left of the treeline. He sighed, climbing back into his hovercraft, shaking his head. " _Zuma? You ok, you look a little... annoyed",_ Zuma recognised the voice instantly. Looking up, he saw Skye leaning over the side of her chopper looking directly at him.  
"Uh, yeah Skye, just Chase and I aren't exactly seeing eye to eye wight now",  
" _Y'don't say?_ " Skye responded, her voice heavy with sarcasm. Zuma laughed slightly.  
"It's nothing Skye. I'll talk to Wyder later, maybe he can sort this".  
" _Yeah.. sure Zuma. But.. y'know you could talk to me too? I don't like seeing Chase like that, acting defeated because he drove your rig like he did, I'd like to know what's bothering him"._ Zuma almost grinned. He knew she was worried about him. Chase had no idea how easy he had it, but of course, he had to make it difficult on himself in his own, Chase-style way.

" _Uhh, Ryder. I've got some animals down here that don't seem to be in good shape",_ Ryder picked up his pup-pad and turned on the video-feed, showing the inside of Rubble's rig. The bulldog did indeed look concerned. He switched the camera to see what Rubble was seeing. Outside of his rig, there was a small group of foxes, curled up on a small rock in the middle of rushing water. Most of them looked fine, but one seemed to be holding it's leg above the ground, wincing as water splashed on it, occasionally dripping a crimson liquid into the water. " _I think we might need Marshall"._  
 _"Good call Rubble. I'll send Skye and Zuma across now", Zuma and Skye looked over at Ryder, who gestured towards Rubble. Both pups headed towards the yellow rig over in the deeper, rushing water. "Marshall? You there?" After a few seconds, Ryder's screen showed the dalmatian dressed in his EMT gear._  
 _"Sorta figured you'd need me for this at some point. Landslides and small animals don't exactly go hand-in-hand",_ Ryder smiled at the pup's initiative.  
"Head out as fast as you can. Zuma will meet you at the road".  
" _On my way Ryder"_.

* * *

Chase slumped down in the back of his cruiser, pushing a cone out onto the road with his nose, letting it just fall onto its side. He groaned and jumped down, setting it up on it's base. Already, he had turned multiple vehicles around. Part of him was hoping to see Humdinger in one of them, that way he could give him a piece of his mind, doing something like this to his town. But instead, he kept getting tourists. Eventually, they got the message and people stopped coming up the road. Chase sat down in front of the cones. "Ryder.. The roads are blocked",  
 _"Nice work Chase. Zuma is heading over with a bunch of wounded animals. I've called Marshall up to help, but can you watch over them until he arrives?"_  
"Sure thing Ryder, sir". And as if upon cue, Zuma pulled up next to Chase, detaching his raft behind his hovercraft.  
"Hey dude. Special delivewry", Zuma joked, jumping down and walking to his raft, grabbing the rope with his teeth and pulling it further onto land. Chase walked to the other side of the raft and pushed it up, and then lifted the blanket covering it slightly, looking inside, only to jump back as his gaze was met with nothing but orange fur and teeth.  
"Woah!" Chase exclaimed, "and I thought I was grumpy".  
"Yeah.. watch out for that one, he's a little bit...jumpy", Zuma said climbing back into his hovercraft and turning around.  
"Thanks Zuma",  
"I was talking to the foxes!" Zuma said, laughing and then driving off across the water.  
"Oooffff course you were", Chase sat down next to the raft, causing a number of growls from the collection of animals besides him. "Oh shut up", Chase said blankly. The raft fell silent again as Chase watched Zuma, Skye and Rubble work.

Within a couple of minutes, Chase heard a familiar siren approaching from behind him, almost feeling somewhat relieved. Quickly, Marshall's ambulance pulled up alongside Chase and the raft. "Marshall. Nice of you to join the fun" Chase said sarcastically.  
"Yeah, sure Chase", Marshall responded with a disappointed tone in his voice.  
"Uh.. Marsh?" The dalmatian blanked him as he climbed out and opened the back doors of his rig. "Everything ok?"  
"Is it Chase?" Marshall responded with a sigh.  
"What do you mean?"  
"You asked us to keep a secret, but you don't even trust us to keep it. You interfered with a rescue to get close to Skye, and from what I heard, you didn't exactly do yourself any favours either". Chase's head sunk.  
"What reason do I have to trust Zuma with my secret?"  
"Really? Do you have to ask? Zuma knows when to keep his mouth shut. He knew the whole 'accidental kiss' thing earlier wasn't exactly serious, and that nothing would happen if he said anything. He knows this is a bit more personal".  
"I-"  
"What about me? What if Ryder asked me to help Skye? Would you trust me?"  
"What? Of course I would!"  
"But not Zuma?"  
"He did just tell you about that... incident outright knowing I didn't want anyone else to know for the sake of a laugh".  
"Chase.. Zuma, Rocky, Rubble, heck even Ryder, knows about your crush on Skye. I think she does too, but we cannot say for sure until you ask. Look at this, it's pushing you apart from the rest of us". Chase hated to admit it, but Marshall had a good point. Ever since the creation of this secret between the three, almost instantly, tensions shot through the roof.  
"I... I ca-"  
"I know you don't want to tell her, Chase. But you need to apologise to Zuma. He doesn't deserve to be seen as untrustworthy by one of his closest friends". Chase nodded. Marshall hugged Chase, who happily hugged back.

"So.. other than you two being passive aggressive towards each other, what else did I miss?"  
"Well, other than these happy customers," Chase said, lifting the blanket to show a litter of injured and not-so-happy foxes, "I almost totalled Zuma's rig on the way here and made a complete fool of myself in front of Skye".  
"Yeah? Welcome to my world. I've tried driving his rig. It's... not fun". Marshall said, heading towards the raft and looking at the foxes. "Honestly, most of these guys seem fine. Some bruising, but this one, it's bleeding and", with a bark, Marshall's pack opened and extended the X-Ray screen, "this guy's femur is cracked, and that's not gonna heal right unless I sort it".  
"You wanna touch those guys? Are you nuts?" Chase asked, almost laughing. Marshall just looked back blankly and slowly reached out a paw towards the raft.  
"Marshall wait! They bite- oh", Chase watched as the injured fox practically climbed into Marshall's paws.  
"How'd you-?"  
"They're like pups, Chase. Approach them quickly and they'll scare. Do it slow like this, and they'll calm down". Chase watched, fascinated and impressed by Marshall's bravery to just plunge his bare paws into a writhing pile of fur and feral teeth like that.  
"What about the rest of them?" Chase asked, looking at the other foxes, who just looked back at him. Chase smiled; the foxes all bared their teeth in unison, causing Chase to jump backwards a little.  
"They'll be fine on their own, but from what I can tell, they're not gonna go anywhere before they get this one back". Marshall said, turning around with a patched up fox on his head.  
"Nice hat",  
"You too!" Marshall responded, causing Chase to cock his head before looking up at his own head, seeing one of the foxes gnawing on his blue cap.  
"Getitoff getitoff!"

Marshall laughed, followed by another four laughs joining in. Ryder lifted the fox off of Chase's head. "Nice work Marshall", Ryder said, petting the dalmatian behind his ear.  
"I thought it suited you, Chase!" Skye said, giggling.  
"Uh..thanks Skye I did too",  
"But you were just yelling to 'get it off'", she responded. Rubble and Zuma looked to Chase for his response.  
"Yeah but that's... because.. I have another hat at home and I didn't want to ruin the surprise by wearing a similar one too soon!", Chase said, grinning and laughing slowly. Skye just looked confused, but smiled back.  
"'Kay then, well we're done guys. Rubble cleared the road and from what we can tell, the river is all patched up for now", Skye explained, walking away from Chase and back towards her chopper.  
"Yeah, basically what she said", Ryder followed. "Zuma, if you could drive the rest of these to Katie's for her to look at, that'd be a huge help"  
"Sure thing Wyder", Zuma responded hitching the raft back up to the back of his rig.  
"Otherwise, job well done pups, see you back home!" The rest of the pups followed suit, climbing back into their vehicles.  
"Hey Chase!" Rubble yelled from his rig. Chase turned around,  
"Yeah?"  
"Real smooth. I think she bought that one!" Rubble yelled back, causing Zuma and Marshall to laugh along with him. Chase rolled his eyes and floored it, collecting his cones as he drove.  
" _Yeah Chase.. Like he said... Real smooth_ '"

* * *

 **Hey guys. Like I said at the start. Thanks for your messages and suggestions. A guest commented about some possible tension between Chase and Zuma last night, and I sorta agree with him. I think if the story was just awkwardness between Chase and Skye, it'd get old and unoriginal faster than I'd like it to. (Let's face it, how many Chase X Skye fics are there? Literally one uploaded the same day as the first chapter of this one).**

 **Review Responses  
 _Taurusology:_** Thanks, I'm glad you found Zuma funny, I was kind of hoping someone would. I hope I didn't ruin his humour too much by making him seem bitter towards Chase. I promise it isn't permanent. It just helps me produce reasons for Chase to eventually confront Skye. Toying with numerous ideas right now, but I feel as if the tension I've built between the two might play a key role. **  
**

_**SharpDragonKlaw:**_ Thanks. I struggled a bit trying to figure out what kind of relationship they should have in the scene, and thought this was a strong start. Hope this chapter didn't blow that completely apart. Wasn't the intention. Marshall gives Chase a stern talking to because he cares, and Zuma is upset because he thinks Chase doesn't trust him. But I did enjoy writing their happier interactions in the previous story, as I feel as if that's something they'd actually do. So appreciate the appreciation.

 _ **SwarmX:**_ Like I said in my message, I don't feel as confident with story as I did with my previous one, but it's not gonna stop me. If only a few people so far have enjoyed it, that's enough for me. Hope this chapter wasn't too much of a change of pace.

 _ **Guest:**_ Rare to see a guest review that isn't just blatant insults, so thanks for that. And yeah, it is shorter in comparison to BR because there was a lot more happening in that story, with about three or four plots happening at once, with multiple POVs to consider and different time zones to work with. It took a lot to make those chapters as clear as I could, hence why they were so long. Because this one basically focus on Chase via an external POV, there isn't a massive amount I can do like last time. Hopefully, I've introduced some clear conflict between Chase and Zuma, (and for a moment, Marshall), because I feel as if that's the most effective way to add more to an otherwise A to B storyline.


	3. Chapter 3: The Aftermath of Awkwardness

**Thanks for all the interest in this story so far guys. I know it's not as intense as my previous one, but figured a fluff piece wouldn't hurt every now and then.**

Chapter 3: The Aftermath of Awkwardness

For a while now, Chase's tongue felt nothing but plastic, over, and over, and over again. His mind expecting water, but the bowl giving him none. In fact, his mind didn't know what to expect as it reeled over the past few days. Rubble was right. Marshall and Zuma were right. Everyone knew. Or at least, he hoped everyone knew, except one, but Chase wasn't stupid. He knew if the others knew, Skye would too. And Skye wasn't stupid either. Chase wouldn't dare think so. If a pup like Marshall had figured it out, then Skye had without a doubt.

Rocky sat under the tree, watching as Zuma pulled back up at the lookout, arriving later than the rest of the pups. According to Marshall, he had to deliver a bunch of foxes to Katie's for a checkup after the flooding. Rocky was glad Ryder didn't call him. Sure, he was alone at the lookout, but it gave him time to catch up on some sleep. Spending night after night planning new inventions, or running around fixing broken park benches, water towers, bells, boats and beyond, the mixed breed began to feel a little overwhelmed, and any chance he got, he spent it asleep in the shade. Sure, his pup-house was comfier, especially when it rained, but it also reminded him of work, and sometimes, it was nice to just rest outside in the fresh air. Plus, he knew the fresh air would help with the smell, prompting Ryder to overlook his desperate need for a bath.

The other pups sat around him, listing off the rescue from their memories. How Rubble instantly got to work, impressing Ryder with his initiative. Or how Marshall recounted Chase's lovely fox-hat he wore, despite the less-than-cooperative fox. He smiled as his friends recounted their latest mission, but after a few moments, he noticed somethings. Chase wasn't there. And despite his usual, mature appearance, Chase liked nothing more than to modestly boast about his rescues. Granted, according to the other pups, Chase's job wasn't exactly exciting, but Rocky knew, and the rest of the pups knew, that every job done is just as important. Looking around, Rocky stood up.  
"Uh.. Rocky? You ok?" Skye asked, causing Marshall and Rubble to stop discussing, and Zuma to lift his head up, all four looking at the grey pup.  
"What? Oh! Oh yeah, I'm... fine", Rocky responded with some hesitation. His eyes fell on an unusually depressed looking German Shepherd, who was sat on his own with his face in his blue and yellow bowl outside the equally blue pup-house. "Did something happen to Chase?" He asked, prompting the rest of the pups to turn their heads and look over. Indeed, they saw what Rocky saw as well. Chase. Looking directly down at his bowl.  
"He did his job, and like Rubble, he knew what to do without Ryder as well. He should be happy", Skye answered.  
"He did sorta embarrass himself at the end though", Marshall said, rubbing a paw on the back of his head. "But we all thought it was funny, we kinda assumed he did too".  
"Embarrassed how?" Rocky pried, looking at the Dalmatian.  
"Well, when Mawshall finished fixing up a little fox dude, he turned awound and they both had one on their heads. Marshall's just climbed down but Chase sorta panicked and scared the little guy. I think he's upset because he embarrassed himself in front of-" Marshall's paw flew across Zuma's mouth.  
"In front of me. Usually, I'm the one who screws up, guess he wasn't ready for the spotlight?" Marshall said, chuckling.  
"Dude, how can your paw taste like liver tweats? We haven't had them since Everest was awound. And as for Chase, he does this evewytime he does something stupid", Zuma asked, sticking his tongue out as Marshall moved his paw away. Rubble and Skye looked at each other and shrugged.  
"It doesnt matter Zuma, I don't like seeing him like this, it's just not Chase", Skye said, gaining a series of nods and agreements from the others.  
"Yeah... I agree Skye", Rocky nodded, "You guys wait here, I'm gonna go talk to him". Rocky separated from the group, the others watching for a moment before they continued to speak to one another.

* * *

Rocky approached Chase. As he got closer, he could see he wasn't a happy pup. His head hung quite low, taking slow sips from the empty bowl. His back hunched over instead of standing proud like he usually did. His blue vest was half removed and his pup-pack laid out on the floor. Rocky knew something was up. Chase never just abandoned his gear like that, he knew the rules. If it's not on you, it's in the lookout. Rocky smiled, hearing Ryder's voice in his head, but then shook it, regaining his concentration on his sad friend.

"Heyyy Chase.." Rocky said with a sympathetic tone. "You doin ok there buddy?" Chase didn't really move. Shrugging ever so slightly, but making it look more like an instinctive reaction than a definitive answer. "Y'know, out of all of us, I know when there is no water, and by the looks of it..", Rocky began to pull Chase's bowl away, "this has been empty for a while". Chase stopped fake-drinking.  
"Rocky.. just go back to the others. I've made a fool of myself one too many times today, rather not screw up in front of you too". Chase didn't look up, instead staring down at the ground. Rocky rolled his eyes and laid on his back, rolling underneath Chase's head and looking directly up at Chase's face.  
"What's wrong with screwing up? Screwing up is how we learn. If everyone got everything right, then we'd be out of the job", he said with a smile. Chase stared back blankly before standing up and walking away. Rocky sighed and rolled his eyes. "Great.. so he's stubborn when he's happy, and stubborn when he's sad. Good to see there's at least one constant here", he mumbled to himself.

"The others told me what happened. They thought it was funny, everyone did", Rocky said, bumping up to Chase as they walked loops around the lookout.  
"I bet Skye didn't",  
"Ohhhh.. so that's what's bothering you. You messed up in front of Skye?"  
"There's really no point trying to hide it from you, if Rubble knew, it'd be an insult to assume you don't".  
"Whaaat? Me? Know what? I have no idea what... you're.." Rocky stopped walking as Chase did, his gaze meeting with Chase's.. "Yeah I've known longer than anyone. But what's the big deal? No one's perfect. Skye found it funny too y'know".  
"She found me screwing up funny. She finds Marshall screwing up funny",  
"Everyone finds Marshall's screw ups funny Chase",  
"And do you have a crush on him?"  
"On Marshall? What? Ew no", Rocky playfully pushed Chase's side, but received no response, but a slight stumble from the forlorn pup. "That wasn't my point anyways. She doesn't think any less of anyone for messing things up. And from what I've heard, your big 'screw up', didn't even affect the job you had to do. It was after, so all you did, was make everyone smile",  
"Yeah well... Glad I was of some use for you guys", Chase retorted bitterly, before taking a sharp turn and heading into the lookout. Rocky slapped a paw into his own forehead, before following Chase through the doors.  
"Again, Chase, not my point".  
"Then what is your point Rocky?", Chase asked, stopping and turning around to be face to face with the recycling pup.  
"My point is, stop beating yourself up over this. She liked the whole.. fox-hat incident, I doubt, no, I know she doesn't like the sulky Chase act".  
"What d'you mean, 'you know'?" Chase asked, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes. Rocky shuffled nervously as the larger pup approached him, feeling somewhat intimidated unexpectedly.  
"She looked over when I saw you weren't sat with us, and she said herself that she didn't like seeing you like this". Rocky looked at Chase, before the larger pup sighed and sat down.  
"You're smart Rocky.. You usually have answers...", Rocky could see where this was going. "What.. What would you do?" Rocky sighed.  
"Honestly Chase, I'm not big with relationships... I'm just not interested, but if I were in your place, I'd do what everyone else has been saying you should do for the past four damn years, and just tell her already". Rocky watched Chase's reaction. Apparently, those last few words hit a few nerves and left a bit of a sting. But this was a good thing, and Rocky knew it. Sometimes, the truth isn't what others want, but the truth isn't about what others want, it's about what they need, and what Chase needed now, was to get it over with. "Chase, you've been pacing around awkwardly for over a year now, and every time she's in the same room as you, or she's called on the same mission as you, you act.. weird. I see it, the others see it, Ryder sees it and without a doubt..", Rocky watched as Chase looked back up at him. "She sees it too".  
"Y'think so?"  
"Chase, last week, you two were on that mission, y'know, the one with the chickens.. and the surfboards... and that snowdrift?" Chase flinched, remembering the mission, or at least what followed. "Yeah, that one. Everest told me alllllll about it. And apparently, after it was all done, the three of you headed back up to Jake's with Ryder for cocoa?"  
"Rocky I get it.."  
"And you offered her yours?"  
"You can stop now",  
"And unless Everest made this up, but judging by your reaction I don't think she did, you drooled into the bowl when she looked at you". Chase covered his face, pushing his head into a nearby beanbag.  
"And what was the excuse you gave her?"  
"It smelled really good",  
"Sorry? What did?"  
"The cocoa"  
"Nope, what did you actually say",  
"ThatiswhatIsaid", Chase stammered.  
"You and I both know it isn't." Rocky pressed his puptag.  
"What are you doing?"  
"Phoning a friend. Maybe you need a paw to get the answer?"  
"Hey Rocky, what's up?" Rocky's tag flashed green with each word from the familiar female voice on the other end.  
"Heya Everest, just a quick question.. Y'know the cocoa incident with Chase?" Both pups heard a stifled giggle on the other end.  
"Yeah? What about it?"  
"What did Chase say? His reason for adding a little extra drool to the mix?"  
"He just stared at her, and said she smelled nice",  
"Ah yeah.. Thanks Ev."  
"No worries Rocky.." The two hung up.  
"Get the point?" By now, Chase was sat staring directly at the door. Rocky turned to see, but no one was there. He cleared his throat. Chase just nodded. "It's not the first time you've done something weird in front of Skye, and knowing you, it's certainly not gonna be the last",  
"Hey.. what's that suppose to mean?" Chase asked, defensively.  
"Chase.. you're a talented pup, level headed, smart, brave.. But when she's around, you're about as graceful as Marshall drunk whilst walking with banana peels for shoes". Both laughed at the idea that the could both quite easily picture in their heads. Sure, the pups couldn't exactly drink, but after seeing Mayor Goodway at the New Year ball, they had a decent understanding of what it would look like. "So, in the bluntest and best way I can put it... Get over it". Rocky said, patting Chase on the back.

Chase watched, smiling, as Rocky headed out of the lookout. He waited for Rocky to turn around the corner and head away before letting his head droop back and continued to sulk. Rocky made a good point, everyone screws up, even Skye did once or twice. Like that time she crashed, and Everest rescued her with Chase's help. Chase hated thinking about that day. She lied about how she felt, everyone knew. Marshall checked her over and although nothing was hurt, she was obviously embarrassed. She was meant to be the elite pilot of the Paw Patrol, and the crashed in a simple snow storm.

Of course, Chase, and everyone else defended her. Chase scoffed at the idea of her not being the best pilot. The pups were the best at what they did, and that included Skye. At the age of 7, she's able to keep toe to toe with other pilots, and in some ways, outrank them entirely. Ace agreed, much to the delight of the others, as this comforted Skye greatly. They all knew how much Skye looked up to Ace, and hearing praise from your idol was probably the most comforting thing you could expect.

Chase thought to himself. That was different. No other pup fully understood what the problem was. He could feel some frustration coming from both Marshall and Rocky's voices when they talked to him. They clearly wanted him to just confess, but.. what if he did it, and she just rejected him? Or she laughed at him? What if she was disgusted?

Chase curled up into a ball, letting the ideas of rejection fill his head. They swarmed around like a hive of angry wasps, each stinging with a different situation. What if Ryder didn't approve? And then he got punished? Or worse?

* * *

Rocky left the lookout. He walked with a stuttering confidence, which reflected his current train of thought. He knew he was honest with Chase, and at this point, it's what he needed. Everyone knew that. But... Did Chase really take it on? Actually pay attention to what he said?

Bonk.

Rocky shook his head, wincing. Looking around at what hit him, he saw a frisbee on the ground in front of him, and he didn't exactly need to look up to see who threw it, because within a few seconds of it hitting him, the culprit was on top of him. Rocky blew the white spotted tail off his face as Marshall stood up. "Oh, hey Rocky", Marshall said, helping him up. Rocky rolled his eyes, smiling.  
"Hi Marshall".  
"How's your head?"  
"Attached. Is yours?"  
"Sometimes?" Both pups shared a laugh. Marshall looked over at Rocky, seeing a familiar blank and quizzical look on his face. Marshall mirrored this, and followed it with a question. "So... How's Chase?"  
"Hmm?"  
"You went to talk to Chase didn't you? Anything get through this time or should we just tell Skye ourselves?" Marshall said, grinning slightly sadistically. Rocky sighed in defeat.  
"I actually don't know Marshall. Sometimes, his stubborness can really help situations, like that time Ryder wouldn't let him go on that mission because of a cold, but he went anyway, and because he did, he managed to winch that bus off the ice before it broke. But in this case, his stubborness is gonna bite him on his butt and I can't do anything at all to get through to him". Rocky slumped to the ground.  
"Cheer up Rocky. It's not like the rest of us can either", Rubble said, walking over to the two pups and joining the conversation.  
"He's just making this harder on himself, and it's not your problem that you can't get through to him. I mean, what attempt is this now?" Marshall asked, raising an eyebrow with the question.  
"I don't know, around eleven?"  
"So, you've tried getting through to him... eleven times. And we've all tried too, numerous times. At this point, we've tried everything." Marshall said as Rocky sat back up. Rubble began to discuss his attempts with Marshall, like how he tried to set up a dinner date between Skye and Chase, and Chase choked on the food before Skye even said hello.

Rocky concentrated on something. A foggy idea he had in the back of his mind. Gradually, he tuned out the sound of Marshall and Rubble arguing over who's attempt was a bigger fail. He knew there was something they hadn't tried. Something pretty obvious, but he knew if he did it, there would be no turning back for Chase. Ever.  
"Guys..", Rocky said, holding his paw out between the two, who looked back at him. "There is one thing we haven't tried yet". Marshall and Rubble both tilted their head, sitting quietly in anticipation of a solution to end Chase's sour mood. The two looked at each other, listening to Rocky's plan, eyes widened. They couldn't deny it, the plan would work once and for all. Either Chase would ask her, or Skye would ask Chase, and regardless of the outcome, it'd be closure for Chase.

"But.. who's gonna do it?" Marshall asked. Rocky pressed his paw down onto a toy on the ground in front of them. Within a couple of seconds, a brown blur jumped in front of them.  
"Who's playing with my toy?" Zuma asked, picking up the rubber bone and looking at Rocky. He then looked around himself again, seeing Marshall and Rubble staring at him. He opened his mouth, dropping the toy. "Uhh? You dudes ok?"  
"Really Rocky?" Marshall asked, concerned. Rocky nodded. Rubble looked just as concerned.  
"Uhhh.. someone tell me what's happening, because last time this happened I ended up going to the vets". Zuma said, looking around again.  
"Zuma... We need your help.. to help Chase".

* * *

 **So is it just me, or is there a sudden increase in Chase x Skye stories over the past week? It seems like a lot of writers all had the same idea, including me. Too late to stop now, but sorta makes me seem like I'm just following a trend here. :|**

 **Sorry if this chapter seemed a little slow. Part of me feels like I could have written this entire story successfully as a one-shot instead of multiple chapters, but I've started it like this now, so it's a bit late to stop now. Also, I feel as if Chase is sorta out of Character in this one, so sorry about that as well. Tried to show that he has more complex emotions than how the show portrays. (Of course, that show being the one tailored towards toddlers so it's hardly surprising they keep it simple).**

 **Anyways, reaching the endgame now. I have plans for the next Chapter, so hopefully I can get it up within a week. As always, reviews are encouraged, and PM me any questions or ideas you have, or if you just wanna say hi.**

 _Reviews:_

 **Taurusology:** Glad you agree with my idea for the tension here, and also thanks for making an exception for my story. I'm not usually big on shipping stories, and I'm only doing this because so many people asked for it during my previous story.

 **SharpDragonKlaw:** Thank you. I like humour to be somewhat obvious, but more... physical than terrible jokes. Something you could picture happening. And the way the pups interact in the show plays a large role on how I write the humour for this story. Of course, you don't really see behaviour to this extreme in the show, but I try to keep it as close to the source material as possible.

I feel as if Marshall has a mature side. I mean, he has to considering how dangerous his job can be. Same goes for all the pups. Just like how I think Chase would have a softer side than what we are used to seeing on the show, because in the end, they are basically children.

 **TheMattdude:** I'd hardly call this a good plotline. Even in my own mind, I'd say average. But if you say it's decent, I'll take your word for it. So thank you. I like a decent balance of seriousness and humour, otherwise, the whole story will become repetitive. Serious moment after serious moment is a pretty stale forumla.

 **Chase:** Loyal as ever I see. Glad to see you're still about. Thank you for sticking with me after all that time.


	4. Chapter 4: A Dangerous Game

**I'm actually flattered and a little shocked at how much attention this has got. Sorry to disappoint you, but now it is planned out, the next chapter will be the last. This story will end with only 5 chapters, as I don't think this storyline can become complex enough to warrant more than that. Thank you all for the support so far.**

* * *

Chapter 4: A Dangerous Game

Rocky's voice circled around in his own head, in a way, he resented the mixed breed's advice. He couldn't simply just 'get over' the fact that he, the pup everyone was meant to look up to, made a fool of himself, again and again. He scoffed, realising what he had just thought, considering the vanity in his own voice, perhaps it's what he needed. Maybe, this was just fate's way of showing him to step down off of that pedestal of his own making. He sat up upon the realisation that if he wanted the pups to look up to him in anyway at all, they certainly couldn't do it if he was humped over on the floor. He didn't in fact resent the advice Rocky had given him, he just resented the fact that he was right about it. "Everyone makes mistakes, everyone screws up. That's life", Chase said to himself.

"Couldn't have said that better myself". Chase turned around at the sound of a familiar voice. The elevator doors closed behind the ten-year old boy as he stepped out, zipping up his jacket and holding his helmet under his arm.  
"Hi Ryder",  
"Chase. What's gotten into you lately? You've been acting so... unlike you", Ryder asked, kneeling down to Chase's level and petting him on the head.  
"Ryder. Do you think I'm a screw up?" Chase asked. Ryder could sense the sincerity in Chase's voice, and was taken aback at the thought that his own pups would think such things about themselves. He expected this chat with Marshall somewhere down the line, considering his numerous mistakes, but never saw it happening with what he saw as his most responsible pup.  
"Chase, what in the world would make you think that?"  
"I keep messing up. I messed up on that rescue, and on so many others",  
"Y'know, if any of you pups messed up a rescue, I think I'd notice. I didn't see anything go wrong with what you were doing back then. You closed off the roads, helped Marshall with those foxes. Plus, we found you look good in an orange hat", Ryder said grinning at the end. Chase winced and whined slightly at that joke. Ryder noticed. "Hey, hey it was just a joke Chase. Nothing went wrong with that rescue. In fact, I was impressed with the initiative that both you and Rubble showed throughout it, getting the job done without waiting on me for orders, that's what I want from my pups, to be able to know what to do and when to do it. You knew what to do in that moment and you went and did it".  
"But I messed up another moment".  
"Chase, I'd hardly call having a fox on your head 'messing up'". Ryder said whilst encouragingly stroking Chase's ears. "But, I actually think I know what you're hinting at". Chase looked up at Ryder, who kept his face straight awaiting an answer. Chase sighed in defeat.  
"I keep messing up..." Chase tensed up, "I keep messing up in front of..."  
"Skye?" Ryder finished. Chase's head sagged, confirming Ryder's thoughts. "Chase, I don't want to get involved in personal relationships between you pups like that, but.. all I can suggest, after watching you for the past seven years at least, is you actually go and talk to her about it. What's the worst that'll happen?"  
"What's the worst that'll happen?" Chase asked, his voice raising a little. "If I talk to her, and she says no, it's gonna make things incredibly awkward forever between us.  
"More awkward than things are already?" Ryder asked, interrupting Chase.  
"I-I... b-" Chase stammered for a response, but knew he had none.

Although Skye might be oblivious to his true feelings, things were still awkward when he was around her. Everyone knew, even Skye could see the awkwardness and she often seemed to try and get away from it all. "Maybe you're right Ryder. Maybe you are, and Rocky, and Marshall, and Zuma, and Rubble and Everest. Heck, who knows, Humdinger probably thinks the same by now", Ryder stood up as Chase did. "Maybe... I just need to tell her".  
"That's the spirit Chase. Just promise me one thing", Ryder responded and then began walking towards the door, picking his helmet back up again.  
"Yeah?"  
"Try and avoid puppies for a few years. Got enough of them here to deal with already", Ryder said walking outside laughing to himself. "Try an- wait WHAT? RYDER THAT'S GROSS!" Chase yelled, just prompting more laughter from the boy as he walked out. Sure.. he was 10, but even a genius knows the basics.

Chase shook his head, removing the thought from his mind as quickly as he possibly could. He sat down. "I have to do this. They're all right", Chase said to himself, thinking back over the past years of his short life so far, realising that all the moments he called awkward and uncomfortable paled massively in comparison to the fact that he had been making a fool of himself for over six years. "But.. how do I do it?" Chase thought to himself. This was a big thing after all, he couldn't just walk on over and say it.. There had to be a better way than that. What words should he use. Should he dress nicely? Should be go for a bath first? What if he suddenly need the bathroom? What if my breath stinks? Or I sneeze? What if we get called into a mission?

Again, Chase's over-analytical mind reeled with every possibility of just simply asking, he didn't dare consider the consequences of actually asking. Taking a deep breath, Chase calmed his mind. His heart however, continued to race like he had just ran a marathon. He knew nothing was going to slow it, and depending on the answer, it could even get faster. "Good thing Marshall's around.." Chase said, chuckling at himself. Again, taking in a deep breath and then releasing it slowly, he turned around and began to walk towards the glass doors.

"Don't overdo it Chase. Just.. say it. You've had 7 years to think of something and you didn't, so, like Ryder said, you're gonna have to show some initiative here", Chase said to himself, attempting to calm himself. He jumped hearing a familiar sound, before realising it was just the sound of the doors opening as he walked outside.

Marshall looked to Rocky with concern, who simply responded with a gentle nod. Marshall turned back and gave his signature grin, waving a paw at Chase and joined him, walking by his side. "You.. uh.. You seem happier", Marshall said.  
"I do? How do I look? Is my fur ok? I haven't got anything stuck in it again have I? What about my teeth, are they clean?" Chase asked, running his tongue across his teeth.  
"Chase? What's all this about?" Marshall asked, stepping back slightly out of concern as Chase practically lunged forward asking him to look at his teeth.  
"I'm gonna do it Marshall. You've all been telling me for years, and Ryder gave me the final push I suppose. I'm going to tell Skye that I love her. But.. not the way I love you or Rocky, y'know, because that's more of a brother kind of love, but more of a roman- Uh.. Are you.. Marshall? You ok?" Chase interrupted his own sentence, noticing that the Dalmatian had gone a whiter shade of white.  
"Wha? Me? Yeah I'm fine",  
"You.. uh.. I expected you to seem a bit.. happier about it? I know it's not exactly- wait... were you hoping I was going to... ask you instead of Skye?"  
"What? Chase ew no. It's just.. IthinkIleftthemyhoseonoutsideRocky'shouseandhe'sgonnakillmebye". Marshall shot off, leaving a trail of dust and grass. Chase watched as the dalmatian disappeared, falling over his own paws once, and then practically tackling Rocky.  
"Ooookay... that was weird. Even for Marshall".

* * *

"R _ocky"_ Rocky stood outside his puphouse and looked down at his puptag as he heard Marshall's voice through it. "ROCKY!"  
"Marsh-uhgh" Marshall collided straight into Rocky's side, causing both pups to lie in a messy heap of dust and fur on the ground. "Marshall what give-"  
"Abort the plan!"  
"What?"  
"Abort the plan Rocky! He's asking her without our help. Tell Zuma befor"

"ZUMA!" Both Rocky and Marshall grimaced at the sound. It was terrifying, a voice that none of them had heard before. Standing up, Marshall and Rocky walked around to the back of the lookout to see what the voice was, but both of them already knew. As they came around the corner, both of them began sprinting towards the scene they saw before them, Marshall easily cutting in front of Rocky's speed.

"What have I done?" Rocky asked himself, holding a paw in front of his face at the scene before him. On the ground, Zuma bared his teeth viciously whilst holding his front paw over his side, and growling back, tensed up and ready to attack again, was Chase.

* * *

 _1 hour earlier_

"You want me to help Chase?" Zuma asked, some bitterness present in his otherwise cheerful voice. "Why, he's been a jerk to me all day".  
"That's sorta the reason you're perfect for this Zuma", Rocky answered. Zuma looked even more confused now. "This plan is.. well it could make Chase pretty angry. Angrier than we've ever seen him. But that's only one of a lot of potential outcomes",  
"Say no more dude. You want me to do something that could annoy Chase? After the day I've had with him, I'd do anything. So, lay it on me dudes". Zuma said, sitting down with a confident and smug look on his face.  
"Zuma.." Marshall said. "This plan, it could do more than just annoy him".  
"Will someone just tell me the plan alweady? Jeez" Zuma said, rolling his eyes.  
"We need you to kiss Skye", Rocky answered in his characteristic bluntness. Zuma looked at him and smiled, then laughed. A lot.  
"Yeah yeah, very nice guys". Rubble, Marshall and Rocky just glanced at each other and then back at Zuma. "Wait..", Zuma paused, allowing time for a small gulp. "You guys are sewious about this?" The all simply nodded in response. "Dudes, what the heck? I can't do that, Chase is in love with her, not me I can't do that to him. Yeah, he annoys me, but that's just.."  
"We're out of options Zuma.." Rocky interjected.  
"And this is an option?" Zuma asked, looking somewhat disgusted.  
"It's the only option now", Marshall said.  
"You're meant to be his bwother Mawshall, you're okay-ing this?" Marshall did in fact feel guilty thinking about this plan. But he knew it was going to give results, either way. He just shrugged. "A shwug? Weally dude? What are you? Six"  
"Yeah?" Marshall answered.  
"That's not my point", Zuma argued back.  
"Guys, we don't need you two fighting as well. Zuma, listen. If Chase sees you kissing her, it might trigger him to confess to Skye in his own defense, then you just say it was part of the plan, and then Skye and Chase are finally together", Rocky explained. Zuma looked around at the others.  
"You haven't said a word Wubble. What do you think of all this?" Zuma turned his attention to the youngest in the group.  
"I... I think it's worth a try. I've been here for the shortest amount of time and even I'm sick of seeing Chase mope about the lookout everytime he sneezes around Skye or something. Maybe it's time this was sorted for good".

* * *

"CHASE STOP! IT DIDN'T MEAN ANYTHING HE DOESN'T LOVE ME!" Skye yelled as she jumped onto the shepherd pup, trying with all of her strength to pull him off of Zuma whilst Rubble did the same and Zuma attempted to push him off with his hind legs.

* * *

"And none of you considered to ask how I'd feel about this plan?" All four male pups jumped at the sound of a fifth voice joining in. "The plan makes sense boys, but, didn't you stop to think about how I might react if Zuma just walked up to me and kissed me. No offence Zuma, but I'd slap you across the yard", Skye said as she sat down in the circle. Zuma shuffled away from her slightly.  
"Skye.. How did you-"  
"Everyone disappears suddenly, and you don't think I'm gonna get curious about where everyone went?" Rocky shut his mouth, and then nodded,  
"Yeah, fair point I suppose".  
"Rocky, we promised Chase we'd never tell her. We all did", Marshall said with deep concern both in his voice and on his face.  
"Yeah, because I needed someone to tell me. I'm not as dumb as I might look guys. I'm fairly certain that some of Humdinger's attempts to wreck this town are more subtle than Chase's methods of hiding his affection for me". Again, the other pups nodded.  
"But..if you've known for all this time, why haven't you said anything? Isn't that a bit cruel?" Rocky asked.  
"Not as cruel as the plan you just came up with", she snapped back, causing Rocky to wince. "Yeah.. Maybe it was, but I could see how uncomfortable Chase got around me, and I didn't want to make him more uncomfortable by asking first. I figured he would ask when he was ready, but it's been years now. So... Reluctantly, I'd like to help".

The other four were all equally shocked. "Skye.. not you too. Come on, am I the only one who things this is cwuel to him?" Zuma asked.  
"It's crueller to just let him keep going on like this", Marshall said. "Any rescue where he is paired with Skye, or even near her, he will make a tiny mistake and then spend the rest of the day, heck, the rest of the week beating himself up over it", Marshall walked over to Zuma and wrapped a paw around his shoulder. "Trust me Zuma... This is what he needs now". Zuma sighed, looking up at the other four who waited for a response. "Ughhh, alright fine. But I don't like this at all".  
"Noted. Now we just need to agree on how this is gonna play out", Rocky took charge again, using his natural gift to form a plan. The others listened in intently, nodding and offering different solutions where needed.

Zuma felt uncomfortable through all of it. Sure, the plan made some sense. But what affect would it have on Chase. He didn't want to make Chase feel worse. Or make him angry. He knew how important Skye was to him, and he also knew how strong Chase was, but the one thing no one knew, was what limits Chase would go to for her sake. That's what made him uncomfortable. Chase was usually predictable and followed the rules, but for this, these were uncharted waters. And Zuma was steering straight through the middle.

* * *

 **So. Penultimate Chapter. Sorry if this feels a little all over the place, I hope it's easy enough to follow. I tried to keep it simple and try and refrain from adding timestamps like I did in my last story as I don't want this to get to complicated. Some of you have predicted this from a while ago, but for those who didn't, I hope this is an interesting twist for you.**

 **The next chapter WILL be the final one. Any reviews left in this chapter will be responded to in that chapter, but any left in the final chapter will only get a response through PM. So, if you use a guest account, I won't be able to respond to your comments in the next chapter.**

 **So, until next time,  
~PupPupGo**

 **xxx**

* * *

 _Reviews:_

 **LuigiWife1551:** _I'm glad you're enjoying the story despite not usually being interested in Ships. Guess that means I'm doing something right, right? I sure hope so because all this is making my hands hurt :) I'm really happy that you're finding each character cute or funny. So thank you for that, it's really encouraging, especially from one of my all time favourite authors. Looking forward to the rest of Caretaker._

 **Chase:** _As always, good to see you around. Thank you for your seemingly never ending support and enthusiasm._

 **Kuro890:** _Thank you so much, I'm glad you're enjoying this one but also even more grateful that you took the time to read my last one as well. Really means a LOT to me to hear that because it took ages. So thank you very much._

 **SharpDragonKlaw:** _Yeah, the show will never actually put two characters in any kind of relationship, because I don't think they can because of that targeted audience, or something like that idk. Probably some broadcasting law about it. Relationships can make things messy both in real life and in the fictional world as well. Glad you are ok with Chase being out of character. I've tried to keep him as close to his actual character as possible, and judging by how he reacts when he messes up sometimes, I like to think I've done well at keeping close to the source material, but making it more interesting than how he usually is in the show. (E.g. if you've seen mighty pups, you'll have seen Chase being very self critical when he's put in charge and constantly beating himself up over his decisions)._

 _I wanted Rocky to react like that for two reasons. One, in my mind, Rocky is very intelligent, (which is evident in the show), but also very logical. At this point, he knows everyone, including himself, has tried the softer approach to the situation, and maybe it was time for the more blunt and obvious option of just saying how it is. Whenever I'm in some kind of funk like that, someone breaking me out of it by stating the truth and what I should do usually helps me big time than someone just there to try and make me feel better. The truth might not always be what we want to hear, but it's more important we hear what we need to._


	5. Chapter 5: An Unfortunate Outcome

**Been reading a few decent stories that are cropping up recently. Reassuring to see that this fandom isn't totally dead in the water. Anyways, sorry it's been taking so long. Been a hectic week.**

 **So, just a warning here, things get a little confusing structure-wise. I've tried my best not to make it too scattered, but basically, everytime there's a line, it changes perspectives. (Aside from Chase/Zuma interactions as the perspective changes so often it would be a lot of lines). I really hope that makes sense. I'm sorry if it's a mess.**

 **Anything in italic took place in the past.**

 **Im experimenting with writing in this one. If it's too much of a mess, I'll do some editing and re-upload it.**

* * *

Chase watched as Marshall dashed off, somewhat puzzled by the strange reaction the dalmatian gave him. He expected some form of pat on the back, (metaphorical or not). He put it down to the pup's usual unpredictability, shrugging it off as he watched him veer around a corner and crash headfirst into Rocky, sending both boys flying behind the green puphouse.

Chuckling slightly, Chase inhaled deeply again, regaining his focus on the task ahead. Like everyone else had been saying for quite some time, it was up to Chase to tell Skye. No one could predict the outcome for him, much less make it happen for him. In the end, whatever path he chose, he would be the one to ask. He strode forward confidently, turning the corner to Skye's house. One last time, he took a deep breath, before opening his eyes.

His blood ran cold, and instinctively, his ears folded back flat to his head. He wasn't sure how he felt seeing what he saw. For years, Chase planned this moment. So many variations ran through his head of the process and outcome that he began to feel as if he were Rocky, overthinking what should be a simple thing to do. But, he never saw this coming. He stood frozen in place. His paws dug into the soil beneath him as his eyes widened, taking in the sight of Zuma, and Skye, sharing what looked to be a very legitimate kiss. What happened next shocked even himself, as Chase's rational, usually strategic-mind retreated back, letting instincts take the wheel as he screamed Zuma's name with pure envy and fury. His powerful muscles helped his whole body to lunge forward, turning the world into a blur around him as the figure of the brown Labrador rapidly became closer.

Zuma's head turned instantly at the sound of his name. Without much time to prepare he could only wince as his side took the full impact of Chase's head. The german shepherd rammed him like a freight train, sending the much smaller pup flying metres away from the silver pup house. Skye gasped in shock and terror.

Zuma laid there, gasping for the air that had been mercilessly shunted from his lungs. His panicked eyes frantically searched around for a sign of more danger to come as he slowly began to sit back up, only to be pinned to the ground. He yelped in pain and clenched his eyes shut as he felt a paw land on his throat, holding him down to the ground. Opening his eyes again, he looked up. His own eyes filled with fear staring straight up into a terrifying sight of Chase's brown eyes - narrowed and unmoving. Even more terrifying was the sight of Chase's sharp, exposed canines only inches away from his face.

* * *

 _"Skye... I still don't think this is a good idea. Surely you must feel something isn't wight about this?" Zuma asked, worry clearly evident in his voice._  
 _"Rocky's right, Zuma. I've known Chase my entire life, and I've known he's had something for me for years. For a while, I didn't think I felt anything back, but, after seeing how concerned he got over me after that crash, or when I was on rougher missions, I couldn't help but feel something"._  
 _"So why not just tell him? That must be easier than this! This could hurt him more than a wejection ever would" Zuma sighed as his heart and mind conflicted him. The logical part of his body was insisting he followed the plan. Rocky had never steered them wrong before, so what reason did he have to doubt him? But then, Chase was like an older brother to him, and he knew, as inexperienced in the romance sector as he was, this would hurt more than any of them knew if it went sour. Chase overreacted to everything he did wrong, blaming himself for days even if a mission went off without a problem, Chase held himself responsible for any tiny detail that went wrong, despite it not affecting the mission at all. Knowing that, Zuma knew that if Chase saw what they had planned, it could- no, it would tear him apart._

 _"Skye... I'm not doing this." Zuma said as he stopped walking. Skye stopped a few moments later, after realising what she had just heard._  
 _"What? Zuma... We have to do this, we don't have-"_  
 _"That's not twue and you know it Skye.. Why are you doing this? Why would you do this to him? Is this some sick way getting back at him for not talking to you about it? Is that it?"_  
 _"Zuma! This has nothing to-"  
_ _"Forget it Skye. Forget any of this happened and let Chase tell you when he's weady. I want no part in this. It's cwuel. In fact, it's sick. And I want no part in this. Kiss someone else."_

 _Zuma let out a sigh of relief. He could handle responsibility, but he did not want to be responsible for breaking his best friend's heart. He began to turn away, letting his eyes settle on a different destination, anywhere else away from his mess._

 _"Zuma?..." Zuma rolled his eyes in frustration and turned his head back towards Skye, and then let out a muffled yelp. Muffled because of the other muzzle pressed up against his own. He closed his eyes as his mind reeled. Angry thoughts filled his mind, along with ones of guilt and disappointment. One good thought did surface, as he realised, at least it wasn't when Chase saw him._

 _Of course, yet again fate changed this for him, as if it heard his thoughts and scoffed at the very idea. Zuma's heart froze at the sound of a blood curdling yell. And then panicked, when he heard that the yell itself, was his name._

* * *

With his senses regained, Zuma growled back at Chase. "Chase. Listen to me. I wanted no part in that kiss. I promise y-"  
"SHUT UP!" Chase screamed, slamming a paw into Zuma's side where he had hit before, pulling a loud yelp from the brown pup who instinctively kicked both of his hind legs full force in response, sending Chase flying a couple of feet away from him. Thankfully for Zuma, swimming did wonders for his legs, but it wasn't enough apparently, as Chase stood back up, walking towards Zuma, snarling in a manner that none of the pups had ever seen before. Not even Chase himself.

Zuma rolled off his back quickly, but froze, feeling a sharp pain in his side where Chase had just recently hit. Twice. He looked up, seeing Chase inches away, close to the ground and tense. His body screamed at him to run, but his chest burned in response as he attempted to move. All he could do was growl back, hoping the idea of an actual fight would dissuade the approaching attacker.

Chase dove forward at the sight of Zuma's bared teeth. An obvious invitation to any angry animal to fight. Zuma's eyes widened as he saw the larger dog dart forward. In a matter of milliseconds, Chase's jaw was locked onto Zuma's shoulder. Not tight enough to pierce, yet thankfully, but it still sent searing pain through Zuma's already injured body. Zuma whined in pain, letting his head fall back into the grass, his hind legs trying to push him off again, his short and dull claws scratching at the skin of Chase's stomach. It was no use. Chase outranked him in every aspect. Size, strength, Zuma had nothing over Chase in this situation, and knew it was pointless to fight back. Instead, he focused his effort on covering his already injured ribs, letting his legs and paws take any hits they could take.

* * *

Skye watched in horror as Chase leaped onto the already injured and clearly powerless form that was laying in the grass. Her mind flooded with feelings, none of them conflicting with each other, but instead, all reaching one conclusion. This was her fault. Guilt flooded her brain and leaked out in the form of tears as she, without even realising, took off at full speed across the grass. As fast as her short legs would take her, she charged towards Chase.

"CHASE STOP! IT DIDN'T MEAN ANYTHING! HE DOESN'T LOVE ME!" Skye yelped at the top of her voice, jumping at full force at the much larger pup, trying with all of her might to shunt Chase off of Zuma. With her attempt, and the inclusion of Zuma's constant effort from below, Chase's grip faltered... but not enough. He shook himself violently, causing Skye to fall off.

In Chase's mind, he no longer had time for Skye. He might have had a crush on her, but now.. He wasn't sure. One thing he was sure of was that Zuma would not be allowed to have her without knowing how much it hurt him. And the only way for him to know how much it hurt him, was to hurt him back.

Similarly to Chase, Zuma had next to no thought towards Skye at the moment. Whilst the effort to move him was indeed appreciated, the one it came from certainly was not. Ignoring the seething pain from his side, Zuma struggled against Chase, focusing all his strength on pushing himself from under him, instead of pushing him off. But Chase did not allow it to happen. He yelped again as Chase dug deeper into his shoulder with his teeth, grazing the skin beneath his brown fur. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"Chase... Please. I didn't want any part of this. They... she... twicked me into kissing her. I would neve-AH" One of Chase's teeth finally did what Zuma had hoped wouldn't happen, and felt an unfamiliar warm liquid dampen his fur. His struggled kicks became a frenzy as he furiously attempted to move. "CHASE. PLEASE!" Zuma yelled through sobs. For a moment, he thought he felt Chase's grip loosen slightly, but the feeling did not last long, as all at once, he felt the pressure of Chase above him disappear entirely, followed by a yelp of either shock, or pain.

It didn't matter to Zuma which it was as he scrambled to move his almost crippled body to somewhere safer. Opening his eyes, he looked around for his attacker. His eyes widened upon seeing where he was, however. Chase looked uneven, as he struggled to push himself onto his paws once more, but this time, metres away from himself. In a matter of seconds, Zuma's vision was obscured by something. It didn't take him long to figure out what it was.

* * *

Marshall sprinted ahead, leaving Rocky behind easily as his long legs carried him towards the fight scene he saw unfolding before him. Skye laid on the ground, sobbing in defeat as Chase locked his jaw further into Zuma's shoulder. "This was a stupid plan. What the hell were we thinking?" Marshall said to himself through tears of frustration. He knew what he was about to do, and he hated it. As the team's medic, his job was to fix the pups or people he helped. Helped. That alone summed up the dalmatian's purpose. He was to help who he needed, but, the only way he could help now disagreed with the way he wanted to. But upon seeing Zuma yelp out again in pain, and now struggling frantically under Chase, his mind became set on one thing.

With all his strength, Marshall ran forward. Not even during his fire-pup race did he run this fast. Behind him, dirt and grass kicked up, leaving a trail as he lowered his head and charged. Slamming right into the side of Chase, using his almost equal size and strength to send the shepherd soaring. He yelled as he did, his eyes prickling with tears, "I'M NOT WATCHING MY FAMILY TEAR ITSELF APART", he breathed. "Not again..." ********

Marshall watched as he landed with a roll and a yelp. The sound broke his heart, but the sight of Zuma broken and bleeding on the ground outweighed that. He stood over him, placing his legs firmly in front of Zuma's face. For once, the dalmatian didn't stumble. He didn't shake or stutter, he was rigid as a rock and he stared through glazed over and teared up eyes at his best friend, who now had his eyes set on a new 'target'.

* * *

Rocky watched Marshall charge ahead. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was about to do. And it made sense. No animal in the state Chase was in would listen to reason. Sure.. they were smart for dogs, but in the end, that's what they were. Dogs. And now, nothing else would make Chase listen than a shock to the system. Marshall seemed to know exactly what he was doing.

His mind seemed to default to evaluating options in times of crisis. Perhaps it was his way of coping with the sudden rush of grief he felt shake him to the core. This was all his idea. His fault, and he knew it too. In response, unlike his friends who seemed to cope in a more physical way, his mind seemed best to cope by analysing the situation before him, looking for the positives amongst the ocean of negatives. And the only positive he saw was how Marshall might be able to stop Chase, if anyone could.

Rocky weighed it up in his mind. Out of all the pups, Marshall seemed the most equally matched against the largest member of their team. Despite being accident prone and ditsy, Marshall was indeed strong. Carrying around a pack of water on most of his missions and all that practice he had for his firepup race, certainly gave him a strength advantage over most of the pups, and likely coming close equal to Chase's. The slight height deficit was not enough to affect him, and Marshall had an obvious amount of speed over anyone else. But Chase wasn't thinking rationally like Marshall was. And an unpredictable Chase wasn't exactly something any of them were familiar with.

But despite knowing it was going to happen, something in Rocky snapped as he saw Marshall run headfirst into Chase's side, knocking him into the air and quickly standing over Zuma in defence. Perhaps it was guilt, or perhaps it was the idea of Marshall and Chase fighting, but Rocky's mind quickly snapped from it's default state of aloof intelligence and he charged forward too.

* * *

For a moment, Zuma's words cut through to Chase, causing him to soften for just a moment. But that moment proved to be enough for him to break free somehow. Chase wasn't sure what had happened, but the moment he re-opened his eyes, he felt a strong, sharp impact on his side. His paws clawed out for traction but got nothing in return. He soared through the air for a couple of seconds, landing harshly on his side and rolling an extra few feet before stopping. In a similar situation to Zuma, he wheezed, attempting to fill his vacated lungs with air. He braced himself for further attacks, but relaxed as no further harm came to him. Opening his eyes, he saw the horizon and the ground, spun ninety degrees onto its side.

With some difficulty, he pushed himself onto his paws, looking around to find the source of the impact that sent him flying, tensing himself back up again to retaliate, but was met with deep confliction when his eyes landed upon the origin of the attack. Staring back at him with an unfaltering gaze plagued with both fear and courage was a pair of familiar sea-blue eyes. He could tell by the look in those eyes, Marshall did not want this. He knew Marshall, and he knew that without having to see his eyes, Marshall wouldn't want to fight Chase, or anyone, if he didn't have to. Whilst the outside facade remained menacing and poised to strike back, Chase's internal guise of resentment began to crumble.

His eyes quickly looked at the brown form which laid in a heap under Marshall's body as it stood firmly over it. Keeping his now lying face focused, his thoughts quickly changed from those of anger to remorse, and terror. His senses returned slowly, each presenting something new that pushed Chase further into a pit of guilt.

His paw ached in pain from both the pain from the impact of landing, and also the impact of bones; more specifically, the bones of the pup that laid on the ground whimpering. The whimpering itself brought pain to Chase. His sensitive canine ears became flooded with the sound of Zuma's pained cries and Marshall's heavy breathing, and Skye's sobs of guilt. Looking around, he saw all of his friends around him, not looking as they would usually. Marshall looking uncharacteristically poised for violence, Skye turned away from the whole situation sobbing softly looking at the ground, Rocky ran towards the crowd, his usually calculative mind clearly focused on something else now. He couldn't even look at Rubble for more than a couple of moments. The youngest member of their team was the furthest away, his small form shivering and close to the ground, but constantly watching back.

And of course, there was Zuma, laid with his face hidden behind the legs of his impromptu protector. But it wasn't his face that Chase's eyes fell on, or his strong sense of smell, instead, it was the smell of something much more sinister. Metallic and red in colour, a liquid stained the grass slowly, some of it leeching into Marshall's otherwise white fur. Upon seeing it, Chase's visage of menace collapsed with his own body. He sat down, and began to sob himself. But upon taking in a sharp breath through his mouth, he felt something he never wanted to feel. Or more.. taste. Blood. Without a doubt it was blood. It wrapped itself around Chase's teeth, clinging to every inch of the inside of his mouth it could cover. Despite it not being much, it was enough to push Chase's senses over the edge, his stomach now uneasy in response to the taste.

* * *

Marshall watched as Chase stood back up. He prepared himself for a returned blow, but instead watched as Chase stood as firm as he did. He watched every movement on the shepherd, but out of all of them, the one that seemed to worry the dalmatian, was his eyes. They darted around the area, looking at every one of the pups, and with each look, Marshall could tell he was breaking. Although his face remained furious and teeth bared, Marshall could see straight through it. As always, his eyes gave it away. The terrifying thing he saw in those brown eyes was chipped away with every new subject they focused upon. And Marshall knew what was about to happen.

He watched as the older pup fell onto his haunches in total defeat. Unsure of what to do, Marshall stood still, too worried about Zuma to move. But his mind knew this mess was finished when he heard the cries of their otherwise strong leader.

* * *

All of the pups, excluding Zuma, looked towards Chase, watching as he fell apart. Each of them feeling pure remorse and guilt over the fear they felt but moments ago. Every one of them knew they played a part in this and all of them knew that they all played a part in the pain Zuma was feeling, laying on the ground in utter silence, not moving, just staring at their now broken leader.

None of them knew what to do next. Some regarded them as the best crisis team the world could offer. Every situation seeming to be easily covered by the adept skills of each of the pups. However... this was new. The only pup who knew how to deal with violent situations, sat sobbing quietly to himself.

Crying is something everyone does. But the reasons for this differ. Young children cry for attention, when in pain or ignored. Or cry for affection from their parents. But the crying that shows absolute pain, is that which comes without noise. Those kinds of tears come from a true feeling of despair. They don't need or want attention. And Chase certainly didn't want any more attention. He had had enough attention from this for the rest of his life. He now wanted to be left totally alone.

Despite what they had just witnessed, what they were currently witnessing seemed worse. As Zuma had predicted, they had indeed broken Chase in one way or another.

Skye couldn't watch it anymore. She knew deep inside, despite it being Rocky's idea, this was her fault in the end. She had the final say on if the plan would follow through, and despite the clear and obvious protest and disinterest from Zuma, **she** made it happen. And now, she had to try and fix it.

Slowly, she approached Chase. He knew she was walking towards him, he didn't care. The others watched, holding their breath as the smallest member of their team walked towards what was just earlier, an instinct-driven animal. Rocky's mind flew into overdrive once more, analysing everything. He knew what could happen, but he knew one of them would have to do it. And it seemed Skye knew this too.

She sat down, looking up at the larger dog who's muzzle was sodden with tears. Her own tears dampening the fur around her eyes. She reached out a paw, placing it on his own. He pulled his back, holding his breath and opening his eyes, which were now red and sore. "I heard you. If he doesn't love you? Then why did he..." He bit his lip, his breaths becoming shallow. Skye knew she couldn't dodge this. Out of everyone, he had the right to know **exactly** what had happened. She measured her words carefully.

"I've known for a long time, Chase". Skye said, softly. Chase looked back at her, but said nothing. "For years, I've seen the way you act around me, we all have. And I'm sure by now the others have encouraged you to talk to me."  
"Why did I have to talk to you? Why didn't you say it?" Chase asked. He no longer sounded angry. His voice instead heavy with guilt.  
"I figured... I.. Thought.. You would ask me when you were ready. I didn't want to push you".  
"But if you knew how I felt, how could you think I wasn't?" Chase asked back, something new and unfamiliar present in his tone. Skye had no response. He was right, and his logic made more sense than her own. "This still doesn't explain what I saw". Skye's heart skipped multiple beats.

"After years of seeing you wanting to ask me, and you beating yourself up over every tiny mistake you would make around me, we... figured it'd be best to... make you". Upon uttering those last words, she instantly saw what Zuma saw in the plan. It wasn't right. No one could make someone love another like that, or even confess it. And of course someone so infatuated with another would react the way he did. No matter what, human or dog, jealously was something every creature felt, and it the effects of such an emotion are unpredictable for everyone.  
"You.. Wanted to... Make me confess? And what did you mean... We?"

The others heard this bit, and now shared Skye's immense feeling of guilt. Skye opened her mouth to speak once more, but feeling that she had confessed enough, Rocky stepped forward towards the two. "It was my idea. Who else would think of something so stupid?" Rocky said, mumbling the last few words to himself.  
"You.. Both planned this?"  
"Actually... we all did", Marshall said, stepping from over Zuma and standing on the opposite side of Skye, followed by Rubble who didn't dare say a word or even make eye contact with Chase. Chase himself sat in disbelief. His mind running ragged with a flurry of emotions. These pups were his family, he trusted no one more than the four that sat in front of him, and each of them played a part in the biggest mistake of his life to date. At first, he wasn't sure how he felt. Disappointment surely was one of the biggest for a moment, but quickly, that was overtaken by anger once more. Perhaps not to the degree of his earlier outburst, but enough to cause Marshall, and Rocky this time, to tense back up. Seeing them fear him like this froze his mind for a moment, but it quickly thawed upon the realisation that they were the reasons for the way he was feeling.

"And Zuma? He agreed to this too?" Zuma moved, attempting to stand up.  
"Yes.. He was", Rocky answered.  
"No", everyone but Skye turned back to look at Zuma on the ground, "I didn't". Marshall, Rubble and Rocky looked at him with confusion as he stumbled onto his paws, holding one leg higher than the rest in obvious pain as he grimaced. "Go on Skye.. You explain", he said, narrowing his eyes at the cockapoo who seemed cemented to the spot. Everyone's attention, including Chase's, was now fixed on Skye, who could feel the five pairs of eyes burning through her fur.

"Skye.. What does he mean? We all agreed on it".  
"Zuma.. backed out in the last minute." The atmosphere around the gathering fell silent. Everything was unnaturally and eerily quiet. No one felt comfortable, not even Chase.  
"What do you mean, ' _backed out_?" Marshall asked. Rocky needn't bother. He had already pieced it together in his mind. He turned back to look at Zuma who had now begun walking away from the group. He half expected Chase to attempt to stop him, but he seemed to fixated on Skye.

"When we were walking into position.. Zuma changed his mind. I knew he was doubtful from the start, we all did, but.. he told me he wanted no part in this.." Skye began to sob again, her breaths becoming shallower as Marshall and Rubble realised what had happened. "He said it was cruel. And of course, he was right. It wasn't just cruel, it was sick. He said that too".  
"So how the hell did he end up kissing you?" Chase asked, slamming his good paw onto the ground in frustration. Skye jumped as the paw hit the ground with a thud. The others didn't flinch.  
"He turned away, as I saw you approaching. I said his name, he turned back to see what I wanted, and I.."  
"You kissed him... And he didn't..."  
"By the time he had realised what was happening... You had-"  
"I had already thrown him across the ground?!" Chase's voice raised, his anger no longer spread across the team, but now focused on the one he had once tried to impress for years. Skye nodded in response.

Chase's guilt was now amplified. It wasn't guilt anymore that he was feeling, in fact, he had no idea what he felt. He knew he wasn't justified for doing what he did, even if Zuma was part of the plan, but.. Now he knew he wanted nothing to do with it... His whole life his purpose was to bring justice, and now..

Not knowing how to react, Chase's body did the only thing it could in this situation. The idea- no- the reality of breaking his own morals the way he had, pushed his mind over the edge. His chest lurched as he turned, emptying the contents of his stomach on the grass besides him. Marshall rushed forwards, his instincts as a medic leading his actions. Skye also stepped forward, only for a brown paw and a grey paw to hold her back. She looked both ways, seeing Rubble and Rocky staring straight back at her. Finally, Rubble spoke. "We all did this.. But.."  
"But you... It's your fault Zuma got hurt", Rocky finished. Skye didn't even react. She knew this. She simply watched as Chase cried in both anger and regret.

"Chase, I'm-"  
"No! You don't get to talk to me anymore", Chase snapped his head up and walked with great force towards Skye, his face mere inches away from hers. Something he had wanted for a long time, but not in the way that he was expecting. She said nothing. "You all did this. What did I do to any of you for this? Toying with me the way you did? Zuma's right. It's sick.", Chase cried, pushing Marshall's paw off of him. "Stay away from me, all of you", Chase said, looking at the male pups, but then stared straight at Skye separately. "And you", Skye held her breath. "I don't...", Chase's mind fell blank, and focused on a more important matter as he began walking past her. "I need to see Zuma".

Skye sat, unmoving, staring into the distance. Emotions weren't something her mind seemed to have the decency to give her. "I..."  
"Save it." Rocky said, walking away.  
"I...", Marshall took a deep breath and turned away. "I need to go check on Zuma". Skye watched as Marshall and Rocky walked away. She slowly turned to look at Rubble, who without saying a word, had already walked away.

Skye sat alone. With one thought on her mind.

"What have I done?"

* * *

 **Holy shit. My fingers are burning. I know its a bit darker than every other chapter, as each of them seemed to have some form of balance between humour and seriousness, but I felt like shoehorning in a random joke in the middle of that conflict would really break it. Hopefully, I can sort that in the next chapter.**

 **So. That's chapter 5. And I know I said last time that this would be the final one, but I am going to continue it with one more. This is the longest chapter to date and I didn't expect that from this. It's likely due to the different perspectives of the conflict, which I thought would be the best way to flesh out how everyone is feeling about the situation.**

 **So. I am NOT setting myself a release date for Chapter 6. For all I know, this might be the last bit of free time I have in a while. Sorry.**

 ******So.. If you have been keeping an eye on my profile, I mentioned that I have one more story in mind at the moment. Now.. it's going to be an origin story to Marshall. I would like it to be a spin off from this line (find the line in the story where the asterix/star is present). Now, if you've read my last story, I made an origin story for Chase. It seemed to fit into that story well, and actually I had planned to make another in the story for Marshall, but it didn't fit as well, so it was scrapped. It will be serious. The plan I have is a dark story, and it's not exactly gonna be too pleasant to read if you like light-fluff pieces. It will also be a one-shot. A one chapter story, about the length of the origin chapter for Chase. (Which I consider canon in this story as well, hence his reaction to the taste of blood). So... expect that in the next 10 years at some point :)**

 **And of course, a massive thank you to Taurusology who not only took the time to pre-read this, he went through the whole thing and noted grammatical and structural changes I could make to improve the whole thing. You were a massive help. Please guys, go and read some of his work!**

 **Review Responses:  
 _Zuma Lover:_** I only leave my chapters on a cliff hanger, unless I want to make a sequel story, which I don't have any plans to do. **  
**

 _ **SharpDragonKlaw:**_ Thank you. I agree. Whilst this is a good way to creatively vent, it's sadly not a priority for me at the moment.

 _ **LuigiWife1551:**_ Couldn't agree more, good things do come to those who wait, and this is obvious by the chapters you've released on Caretaker recently, which were certainly worth the wait. Good look at your next time in Uni!

 _ **Taurusology:**_ Thank you. Those issues are no longer my issues. I wanted nothing to do with them so I've butted out. I have better things to focus on now than disputes back at home. I have my own life to lead and I'm sick of it getting in the way, which made it much easier to write.

 _ **PyreFly77:**_ Getting into "the zone" as you call it, is difficult for me regardless of family affairs, (but they certainly didn't help), hence why it takes me ages to put out more chapters. Honestly, though, I can't tell that you're struggling with your story, because its fantastic so far. It's genuinely something that's hooked me. I love situations like that, even if it seems dark to like it.

 _ **Chase:**_ I always want to keep you guys posted. Don't want anyone to think I'm ignoring you all 3


	6. Chapter 6: Not The Desired Result

**Hey guys. Sorry it's been almost a month since the last chapter was uploaded. Been a struggle here settling back in after a mess of a break and a lot of deadlines that I totally forgot about. Thankfully though, it gave me time to re-think this chapter a few times, and I think I got it right in this one.**

 **By the way, to those who've been leaving me rude messages/reviews, I appreciate it's frustrating when a story you are following doesn't upload for a while, but please understand that the authors of those stories, myself included, do have other things going on which, more often than not, are more important than fanfictions.**

* * *

Chapter 6 - Not The Desired Result...

For once, the atmosphere surrounding the lookout was dense, almost crushing. The usual glow of optimism that the building seemed to emit was no longer there, and for the pups who lived in the tower, it was obvious why. Chase looked away from the lookout, turning back towards the cliff-edge and looking out towards the bay. His brain reeled restlessly as it tried to find one topic to focus upon, but so many different events and emotions flooded through the young pup's head that it was impossible to pick just one. On one hand, his closest friends (if not his family) had all just played the darkest joke they could possibly think of on the poor shepherd, and that made him feel furious which each of them. On the other hand, he felt even angrier with himself, not to mention disappointed, for harming Zuma the way he did.

Flashes of the lab's face braced Chase's mind briefly; he recoiled at each one. No matter the situation, Chase had never resorted to violence, and come to think of it, there had been many more serious situations that he had been in since becoming a police dog, but not once had he harmed someone.* He had vowed never to fall to such levels, for risk of doing more harm than good, or becoming worse than the one who he was attacking.

But... He was worse than Zuma. By a longshot. Despite agreeing to the plan the others had developed, he had backed out instead of following through, instead... That blame fell to Skye.

For years, Chase had admired the cockapoo. Her skills were unmatched by any dog and even most humans. Her compassion seemed to flow seamlessly besides her kind-hearted nature. But now, Chase wasn't even conflicted. Now, he felt nothing towards her. Not only did she withhold her true feelings for him, causing him to spend most of his young life concealing his own for the sake of his own embarrassment, she agreed to the plan- no, she fulfilled the plan, more than any other pup did, tricking Zuma into... Doing what he did and not even considering the consequences. If anyone was to blame, it was her.

* * *

Closing his door behind him, Zuma slowly slumped onto his bed, wincing in pain at the feeling of the raw flesh dripping on his upper leg. He looked down at it. It didn't look as bad as it felt, but slowly, it leaked blood out onto the floor. For the pups, blood was an uncommon sight, either the rescues they were involved in were unlikely to cause such wounds, or they were so effective at preventing them from happening, either way, it wasn't something they saw often, much less coming from themselves. Instinct took Zuma's mind as he gently leaned down and began to clean the bite marks. Each lick brought its own wave of stinging pain which washed over the aquatic pup, tensing as his tongue gently glided over it and flinching at the unpleasant metallic taste.

Of course, there were other injuries to Zuma's body, but his mind fell to the most obvious one, but the soreness and stiffness of each of his joints was present as he nursed himself. One would think his mind would be focused on the wounds alone, however this was not the case. Whilst there were obvious physical wounds covering the brown lab, emotionally, he was in shreds.

Guilty at the thought of agreeing to the plan, furious for being forced to follow through with it, and terrified of his oldest surrogate brother who threw him around like an old chew toy. But overall, he was more focused on Skye.

In Zuma's mind, Skye was the most innocent of all the pups. She'd never done anything to upset another, she always followed commands and constantly seemed to be able to cheer anyone up. The rest of them, Chase included, were prone to mischief from time to time, (granted, this mischief received no more than a short telling off from Ryder or another pup), but Skye always seemed above that, or at least knew when too far was too far. Apparently, this time she didn't.

From the moment the plan was even mentioned, Zuma was against it. His mind conflicting with his heart but it didn't take long for both to reach an agreement that the very notion of tricking Chase the way they had planned was unfathomably wrong. Part of him felt pride and the other part felt mostly relief upon backing out of the plan. He was ready to walk away before Skye pulled him back. He never should have turned around. He knew something bad was going to happen. He knew if he kept walking, none of this would have happened. But hindsight is twenty-twenty, and just like Chase, Zuma felt very little towards Skye at present.

His deep concentration was soon thrown off by a familiar metallic knock. He shot a quick glance to the door and laid back down. It knocked again.  
"I want to be alone... Go bother someone else for a while", he responded coldly. For a moment, Zuma's hopes lifted as nothing followed, assuming that the pup/person had indeed walked away, but it was shortlived.  
"Zuma... Let me in. If you don't wanna talk that's fine, but I need to check you over. It's my job." Zuma had half expected this to happen, of course the team's medic would be worried for one of the pups when they were so obviously hurt. Still, he was conflicted about letting him in, after all, Marshall did help conceive the very plan that got him into this mess.  
"I'm fine Mawshall. I can sort myself out". Zuma answered with a flat tone.  
"You're bleeding",  
"No I'm not", Zuma lied in hope of derailing the dalmatian from his one-track mind.  
"Well, one, we all saw what happened, and two, there's some spots of blood on the floor out here, and it's definitely not mine. Zuma, if you're bleeding it can get bad. And if it's bleeding because of a bite, it can get even worse. You have to let me see. You don't have to talk, I won't either. Just let me do my job and I'll leave".

Marshall sounded uncharacteristically serious for the usually boisterous pup and Zuma knew what he was saying was right. With obvious reluctance, Zuma opened his door. He refused to make eye contact with Marshall for risk of starting a conversation, but true to his word, Marshall kept his mouth shut. Closing the door behind him, Marshall turned on a light. "Show me", Marshall said bluntly. Zuma rolled his eyes as he held out his leg, lying down. None of the pups had the right to be blunt with him at the moment. "This is gonna sting. I'm sorry but I'm not taking any chances, I don't need to see-** It doesn't matter, sorry". Zuma raised an eyebrow looking up at the spotted pup but very quickly squeezed his eyes shut, hissing slightly at the sudden sting.  
"What the hell dude?!" Low growling could be heard from the younger pup as he instinctively pulled his leg back.  
"Zuma don't make this harder please",  
"Harder? How can I make it harder? You've got it easy, you're not the one who's gonna have to avoid Chase for ages and explain to Wyder why you're covered in bruises and cuts like this".  
"No. But you're not the one who's gonna have to face the music when Ryder finds out that you're one of the few that helped the plan follow through. How do you think I feel Zuma? I'm terrified, I'm filled with more guilt than I thought was possible and now I think I've lost my closest friend".

Despite being angry towards Marshall, (and the others), Zuma couldn't help but pity the pup. Marshall's sense of right and wrong was always led by his heart. Perhaps his misjudgement mixed with the pure fact of his age was enough to soften the harsh feelings Zuma currently felt towards the dally. Zuma could see the obvious look of regret and also some fear on his face. He could understand both. The regret was of course, obvious, but the fear needed no explanation from Marshall. At somepoint, Ryder will find out about his involvement in the scheme and what was sure to follow was unlikely to be fun.

"Sorry. I said I wouldn't talk... But I still need to sort that leg out. A wound from a bite can get infected very quickly, or worse". Slightly less reluctantly than earlier, Zuma let Marshall see his leg once more, but this time, gritted his teeth before he continued to apply whatever it was he was applying. Zuma didn't dare look. Soon enough though, he felt a soft wrapping around his leg as Marshall backed off. Looking down, his leg was bandaged up, expertly of course. As clumsy as he was, Marshall was a perfectionist with his job, (and considering what his jobs were, that was a good thing). Suddenly, Marshall pushed Zuma onto his side, and then onto his back before looking over him. Zuma felt a little too exposed and opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but Marshall was way ahead of him.  
"You fought Chase whilst on your back, which means you've probably got some injuries on your front. Sorry, this is awkward for me too",  
"So...You're not just checking me out then?" Zuma asked with a sly grin. This shocked Marshall. Sure, Zuma was usually one to crack a joke in these sorts of situations, but considering the circumstances, it was an unexpected relief to have some humour. Marshall welcomed the brief break in the tense atmosphere, giggling slightly as he let Zuma roll back onto his side.

"I don't blame you, Mawshall. Not entirely", Marshall looked up from the floor as he picked up his equipment. "You'd never do anything knowing it'd hurt someone",  
"Zuma I-"  
"But that doesn't mean I'm not mad at you. At you, Wocky, Wubble but... Not as angry as I am with Skye". Zuma said, growling with the last name. Marshall didn't blame him. They were all mad at Skye but it was no surprise that Zuma was the most upset with her.  
"I'm sorry. There isn't much I can say other than that. It was a stupid idea and we should never have kept considering it after seeing how uncomfortable you were with it". Marshall paused, watching Zuma's reaction but for once, the pup was blank. "But... I did let it happen. In fact I encouraged it. When you asked me if I was ok with it, that was my moment to say no, but I let it happen. We- I put you in an uncomfortable, not to mention dangerous, situation and all I can do now is say sorry". Zuma watched as Marshall let his thoughts spill out into what was an obvious and heartfelt apology and it seemed with each word, Marshall's head sunk further to the floor, whilst Zuma's remained up high, reaching a point where Marshall was more or less laid down on the floor.

Zuma outstretched a paw and put it on the dalmatian's back, prompting him to look up, letting his teary eyes meet Zuma's. "You're not fully to blame, Mawshall. You did warn me that the plan might turn ugly, and still I agreed. I let my emotions and frustration with Chase earlier today cloud my own decisions. You were the only pup amongst the rest of them who seemed somewhat against this plan. I should've noticed you being unsure and taken that as a warning. But you have less to answer to than the others". Marshall almost felt some relief from those words. Sure, he didn't take pleasure in thinking that he was going to be punished less than his friends, but still, he felt slightly less guilty now. Zuma pulled Marshall into a hug.  
"Don't think this doesn't mean I'm not mad at you". Zuma said, feeling Marshall just melt into the embrace.

Once again though, Zuma's head turned to the door, hearing a familiar knocking again. Marshall backed away, looking at Zuma who simply shook his head. Both pups remained silent. Again, the knocking came but more gently this time. Marshall walked towards the door and lowered his head, sniffing in the scent trying to tell who was on the other side of the metal wall. He pulled his head back and walked backwards away from the door. Zuma looked at him, mouthing the question, ' _who is it?'._ Marshall just looked blankly back at him and then pointed at a picture hung on Zuma's wall. The picture had all of the pups in a heap on top of Ryder, who was laughing. Zuma took it off the wall and handed it to Marshall, who quickly pointed at the largest pup in the picture. Chase was outside the door.

Zuma wasn't sure what to do. He knew he couldn't avoid Chase forever, and part of him knew Chase obviously felt bad about what happened, but after everything, he was unsure if he wanted to see him so soon. Again, the door knocked. He wasn't going to walk away without talking. For a while, Zuma and Marshall held their breath. The air was still and silent as both pups did their best not to make a noise.

"Zuma...", Zuma's heart skipped a beat at the familiar, but broken sounding voice. "I know you're in there... I need to talk to you... Please". Of course he knew he was in there. They could be as quiet as they possibly could be but nothing could ever trick that nose. Marshall glanced at Zuma who sighed slowly and then walked to his door, limping slightly with the unusual feeling of his leg bandaged up. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door.

What Zuma saw in front of him was unexpected. Stood in front of him, with legs shaking like a newborn deer and damp fur around his face, Chase looked back into Zuma's eyes. "Zuma... I- Oh...", Chase stopped talking, seeing Marshall walked towards the two and standing next to Zuma. "I'll come back later. I don't need to see him at the moment", Chase spat bitterly, acting like Marshall couldn't hear him. Marshall's ears fell.  
"Chase... Mawshall really is sowry for what happened",  
"You expect me to forgive him?"  
"You expect me to forgive you?" Zuma responded quickly. Chase held his tongue. For once, he had no response. He did indeed want forgiveness from the lab, but compared to what Marshall had done, it was a much bigger thing to apologise for, and looking over Zuma's body only solidified that fact. Chase noticed Zuma's unsteady stance and bandaged leg. Numerous bruises were showing through his dark fur and some drops of dried blood were present both in Zuma's fur and on the floor in front of him. Chase folded his ears down, holding back a shaky breath.  
"I've talked with Mawshall, Chase. He's just as apologetic as you are, I'm sure. Yes, he did something absolutely stupid, but... He knows it". Chase looked at Marshall who continued to look at the floor. He then turned his head, hearing something nearby. Stood together, watching from a distance, Rocky and Rubble held their breath too, noticing they'd been spotted.

Zuma saw them too and gestured for them to come over. Without thinking twice, the two walked over. "Guys... we're so... so sorry",  
"save it", Zuma answered back swiftly, "I'll talk to you two later, but for now, it's Chase you guys have to talk to". Chase's eyes widened at the sudden feeling of being back in the spotlight, a feeling he no longer wanted after the last time he was in it. He was expecting to talk to Zuma, not everyone else too and now he had no choice. He was like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Chase... You know we'd never want to hurt you, right?" Rocky broke the tension between the five pups prompting Chase to look directly into him, which unnerved Rocky slightly. Chase saw this.  
"Oh no? Well it's exactly what you did. All of you!" Chase replied, looking around at the other four dogs as he did before letting his gaze settle back on Rocky. He sighed. "But... It was no excuse to act the way I did. There is no excuse for me acting the way I did. It's clearly scared you guys, and more obviously hurt Zuma in multiple ways and I can't forgive myself for that". Chase's attitude dwindled in the last few words of his sentence, letting his body slump slightly from it's usually tense and proud stance.

Once more, Zuma wasn't sure what to make of the situation. He watched as the other four pups before him passively argued between each other, mostly asking for forgiveness from Chase who seemed away in his own world, occasionally glancing back at Zuma's leg. It didn't take long for him to reach a conclusion.

"What you did was stupid, Chase." Zuma spoke up above the rest of the pups, causing them all to turn around and look his way. Chase looked up from the ground. "But what we did was stupider. Yes, I may have backed out, but I shouldn't have been able to back out in the firwst place. If I had never agreed to it, I wouldn't be like this, none of this wouldn't have happened". Rocky and Marshall looked at each other, their own guilt intensified now realising that Zuma was apologising on behalf of all of them. "Chase, you have to understand that for years, we've been watching you pining after Skye but never acting on it. We've all twied helping you talk to her. Me, Wocky, Wubble, Everwest and Wyder. Heck, I think even Mayor Goodway tried once. We were getting fwustwated at seeing you sulk because she never noticed. Yes, I agree it was wrong of her to lie the way she did for years, but we didn't know either."

Chase sat up, paying attention to every word that came from the lab's mouth. He had a way of telling honesty apart from falsehood, and to Chase, every letter was the truth. "What I'm twying to say, Chase... Is-"  
"We're sorry". Rubble finally joined in. Chase turned to look at the youngest member of their team who remained unable to make eye contact with the much larger shepherd. Chase didn't blame him, it could be guilt or fear, either of which were understandable feelings to have towards him at the moment.

Taking a few moments to process everything he had heard, his mind was throbbing from the events of the day and this was only shovelling more coal onto that proverbial fire, a fire which not even Marshall would have a hope of extinguishing at this moment. Letting out a long sigh of stress, Chase sat down.

"I know you guys", Chase's voice was shaky but clear. "You'd never do anything thinking it was going to hurt another person or pup. So the same must be true for your intentions with your 'plan'. You're right. It was stupid. The stupidest stupid you could probably think of. You knew how much I felt for Skye, and you used it for your own little game. I'm sorry if you were getting frustrated, I never knew that." Rocky opened his mouth to mention the numerous times that all the pups and various others had come to discuss it with him, but felt it best to just leave it, and remained silent.

"But, like I said, what I did was inexcusable, and honestly I wouldn't be surprised if Zuma wanted to bite into my leg at the moment". Chase said with a dark tone of humour in his voice, even holding out his foreleg to the lab. For a split second, the thought did spring to Zuma's mind, but was quickly dismissed for being a stupid notion. Marshall sighed at the response, earning a punch from Zuma, who just looked at him, a little shocked that he would even consider him to be capable of such a thing.

"You might think that you're still partially to blame for this, Zuma, but in my eyes, you're not. And out of everyone here, you should be the one deserving an apology. From. Everyone." Chase made his last two words very clear to the other three pups around him. As if on cue, Rubble ran up to Zuma and hugged him, taking Zuma a little by surprise and knocking the wind out of him.

The bulldog buried his face into the brown fur, sobbing softly. "Zuma-" Rubble's words were cut off as Zuma hugged him back.  
"Welax little dude. I know".

"This was all my idea to begin with. If anyone here is to blame, it should be me." Rocky stepped forward, sitting between Chase and Zuma. Both pups looked at each other, clearly sharing the same idea. Rocky lurched forward at the feeling of two paws making quick contact with the back of his head, knocking his hat to the floor, before Zuma and Chase pulled him into a hug, followed by Rubble and Marshall.

For a moment, everything was quiet again, but this time, it was a quiet that wasn't unsettling or tense, it was just a blissful silence after a long and heavy day of conflict, and all of the pups enjoyed it. "I... Suppose we really 'Chased' this one out of the park... eh heh, right... Guys?" The other four pups looked at each other. From the outside, the group hug shuffled a little and spat Marshall out onto the grass. He laughed. Something the pups could always count on was Marshall's downright goofy attitude to lighten whatever situation they were in, and it proved to be infectious, as Zuma began chuckling with Marshall, looking at the dalmatian curled over in the grass laughing at himself. The others soon followed suit, ending with all five male pups laughing together, as if breaking the final link in the unpleasant chain of events that had occurred that evening.

But pretty soon after the laughing began, it began to slow down, caused by Chase stopping laughing altogether. Something was on his mind. He knew he wasn't done yet and this one was going to be far more complex than the apologies he had already completed. Marshall noticed the troubled look on his friend's face, and then realised what the issue was. "Chase... Maybe you should just leave it be for a few days, until everything is settled down?" Marshall suggested. The other pups noticed the conversation between the two and looked over at Chase, wondering what the two were talking about. It didn't take long for Rocky to work it out, but the two younger pups didn't have a clue, and had forgotten entirely who else the plan involved.

"I can't do that Marshall. Look what happened the last time I bottled up my feelings for so long. She... She deserves and apology, and without sounding selfish... So do I". Chase stood up and turned around, walking away from the other pups. Marshall couldn't understand how expecting an apology from Skye was selfish at the moment. Out of everyone, she had the most to answer for. He was just glad he wasn't in Skye's position right now.

* * *

It didn't take long at all for Chase to find her. He did first check her puphouse, but as it was empty, he continued looking. He was a little surprised to find her sitting in the exact spot he had left her in, just laid down and motionless this time. By the looks of it, one would think she was dead, but her chest was rising and falling, albeit slowly. She was asleep. Chase took the opportunity to just look at her. Her face was matted down with dried tears. Her usually golden fur painted with soil and grass stains. It took Chase a moment to realise those were from him throwing her. Again, the feeling of pure guilt took hold. A familiar sensation after today.

He laid down on his front next to her, looking out towards the bay once more. He listened, between a mix of the crashing waves below and the shaky breathing coming from the team's smallest member just mere inches to his left, it made for a very uneasy setting. As much as he wanted to talk with her at the moment, he felt it best to let her sleep, knowing that if he woke her, she wouldn't be very comforted seeing him. But fate seemingly had other plans for this moment. Chase noticed as Skye's breathing changed. Her small form shifted on the ground and she opened her eyes, looking out towards the ocean as well. Apparently, she hadn't noticed Chase sat right next to her yet.

Chase's mind was screaming at him to back away from habit, but it wasn't going to happen. Taking a leaf from Marshall's book, he followed his heart, which told him to stay put.

Skye yawned, stretching her limbs and blinking. She hadn't been asleep for long, but she was exhausted. Her eyes reddened from the tears, her fur stuck down and her nose dry. She sat up, as she did, she felt a familiar form nearby. She looked out of the corner of her eye, seeing Chase staring out into the bay. She stayed silent for a moment, before laying back down. Chase saw her do both.

"Nothing's going to get better if we don't talk"  
"Ch.. Chase?" Skye asked, acting shocked that he was with her.  
"You knew I was there just as much as you knew I had a crush on you, didn't you?" Chase asked, turning to face the cockapoo. Skye sighed, defeated.  
"Yeah... I knew."  
"So is it just a thing you do now? Lie to me? Or is it not exclusively me? Because I'm fairly certain Zuma has some stitches to prove otherwise" Chase was becoming angry. Skye sat up.

"Chase, I-"  
"No. I've been hiding what I've been wanting to say for years now, and if I'm getting an opportunity to finally say it to you, I'm taking it". Skye shut her mouth, from Chase's tone in his voice, she would much rather he talked than face the consequences of interrupting.  
"For years, Skye, I've loved you. Not in the way I love Ryder, or Marshall or the others, but _loved_ you. You're smart, beautiful, skilful, compassionate... Or at least I thought you were, because I guess you felt the same towards me, but never told me?"  
"You never told me either!" Skye responded, a little frustrated that she was getting no chance to defend herself.  
"Maybe it's a good thing I didn't!" Chase shouted back, causing Skye to settle back towards the ground again. "You toyed with me in the most perverse way you could think of. You knew how I felt, apparently everyone did! And yet you kept silent, waiting for me to tell you instead. How big is your ego that you expect others to admit their crush on you before you do to them? You pulled me into this, and now, no matter what I do, despite making it up to them, the others will never look at me the same way again". Chase's anger dissipated into an anguished muffle, tears forming in his eyes.

"I hurt them, I hurt you. Almost everyone I care about has been hurt by me today and whilst I'm to blame, you are too". Skye winced at the accusation, but didn't reject it. He was right. "At any one point you could've turned around and backed away like Zuma did, but what did you do instead? The exact opposite! You knew I was coming and you forced Zuma to kiss you. How twisted are you?"

"Oh get off your high horse Chase!" Skye yelled back. Chase opened his mouth to return but Skye wasn't letting him. "Yes. I forced him to kiss me. Yes. At any point I could- should've backed out of it. But you know what? At any point, you could've stopped fighting Zuma. But you kept going. We all tried to stop you, even I did and you threw me across the ground! So don't you dare try and shift your guilt for hurting him and the others onto me!"

Chase was at a loss for words. Unable to come up with an argument because everything she said was true. He had been trying to shift the blame to her, and it wasn't fair. She was right, at any point he could've and should've stopped, but he didn't. He just kept fighting and fighting until something hit him hard enough to knock him back to his senses.

"So are you just going to leave me with your guilt complex or are you-"  
"I'm.. Sorry Skye".

Once more, a brisk and brief silence was suspended in the air around them. "You're... Sorry?" Skye asked in disbelief.  
"Of course I am. Yeah, you were stupid and did probably the worst thing you could have done in the situation, but I was worse. You're right. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did". Now, the tables had turned. Skye was unsure on how to respond. But she knew the most obvious thing to do was-  
"I'm sorry too, Chase. You're right. What I did wasn't just wrong, it was cruel. To you and Zuma, and I'm dreading this conversation with him later too." Chase knew how she felt, he wasn't exactly looking forward to any of these confrontations. "But... Despite it all, I still love you Chase."

Chase bit his tongue. His heart skipped more beats than he thought possible and his breathing stopped entirely. If Marshall were around he was sure CPR would soon ensue. For years, those were the words Chase wanted to hear from Skye, and now, of all times, this is when he was hearing them. He knew how to answer, but it was going to tear both of them apart.

"Skye... I don't think I love you the same way anymore... I'm sorry". Chase sighed and looked back into the bay, not wanting to deal with the guilt of making Skye upset along with everything else he was shouldering that day. Skye, on the other hand, began to feel dizzy. After everything that had happened, and finally confessing it to him, this was the result? But...  
"Why? I'm still me! Please Chase!"  
"Skye, please don't. Take it from someone who has had years of experience in the matter and listen. Pining after someone you think you love for years means you miss out on multiple other opportunities".  
"You mean the other boys?" Skye asked, thinking about the rest of the pups. Sure, she loved them, but none of them were Chase. "Chase... They aren't you. I love you."  
"After everything that's happened today, I just don't think I can feel the same way I used to toward you." Chase sighed, closing his eyes, realising what he was doing. For years he dreamt of the moment of being able to confess his love and now, he had that chance and he was doing the right thing, but it felt so wrong.

"At least... Not yet". Chase followed up, causing Skye's attention to snap back to Chase, who once more let out a long and shaky breath.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Skye, I loved you for a reason, your compassion and kindness mainly. After what you did today, I can't say I can see those two things amongst the other reasons and for that's why I no longer feel the same way I used to. But... Given time, maybe I will. I'm not saying for sure... But maybe a few years down the line, we can try this again... With less biting and throwing this time".

Skye's thoughts fell back to the idea of being with Chase. Not a few moments ago, she believed she had lost all chances of being with him, and now... One last chance was held in front of her, but so far out of reach, but it was her only chance and so she took it. "I understand, Chase. I do". Skye said, and then turning to face the much larger German Shepherd, stretching out her foreleg towards his. Chase looked at her, and then did the same. Both paws clasped together, moving up and down in perfect synchronisation. Before the two were pulled into a hug by one another.

From the distance, faint howling and cheering could be heard. Turning around, both pups saw the rest of the team running towards them, and in perfect unison, both said "Oh no", before being tackled to the ground. Chase laughed whilst being tackled by his adoptive brothers, meanwhile, Skye's vision scanned the furry mass for a familiar pup, and upon finding him, Zuma's eyes instantly locked with hers. As if some invisible force told them to stop, the rest of the pups backed down and away.

"Zuma... I" And just like before with Rubble, Zuma didn't care to listen to excuses and apologies, he simply wrapped his forelegs around her and hugged her tight.  
"We've all made stupid mistakes... Some more stupid than others", Zuma said, glancing up at Chase who just shrugged before receiving a headbutt to his side from Rubble. "But we're family. Families fight and do stupid things, but we wouldn't be a family if we didn't know when to forgive and forget. And personally, I'd pwefer to forget EVEWRYTHING today." Zuma said, earning a chuckle from Skye. The rest of the pups joined back into the hug, giggling and laughing together.

"I love you guys", Chase said out loud.

All of the pups were so engrossed in their group cuddle, that none of them noticed the short 10 year old dismounting his signature ATV nearby and walking over, before wrapping his own arms around the pile of young pups on the grass. Once more, the atmosphere around the lookout returned to its joyful and peaceful state, as it always had been for years. Ryder looked at his pups, noticing all of them looked somewhat different, and then noticed Zuma.

"Uh... What'd I miss pups?" Ryder asked, standing back up and looking down at them all. Chase looked at the others, before turning to Ryder.

"Well... Uhhh heh heh. Long story?"

* * *

 _*Yes, I still like to think that my backstory I provided for Chase in Burning Responsibility is canon in my stories, but that was before he had become a police dog._

* * *

 **And so scratches one more story from my list. I am so sorry my upload schedule was a mess. There are writers on here that are inspirational for being able to upload daily or every 2 days or even once a week! And here I am, uploading a chapter just shy of a month after the previous one.**

 **So, a massive thanks to Taurusology for helping me choose this ending. I thought it would be far too predictable and cliche to have Skye and Chase together by the end, but didn't want to leave it on an unhappy ending. Some of you might find the ending a little unsatisfying if you're used to couples getting together by the ending, and all I can say to that is I'm sorry and that there are lots and lots of other Paw Patrol stories involving Chase and Skye in which that happens, so I'm sure you'll find something that's more your speed.**

 **I've been dropping links to another story I have in mind, a One-Shot origin for Marshall, throughout this story, and once that's released, I'd recommend re-reading some lines in this story as they might make more sense with that additional context.**

 ** _THIS ONE SHOT STORY DOES NOT HAVE RELEASE DATE. FOR ALL I KNOW, IT COULD BE RELEASED WEEKS OR EVEN MONTHS FROM NOW. FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SENDING ME RUDE MESSAGES AND REVIEWS ON THIS STORY'S UPLOAD SCHEDULE, BACK OFF. I HAVE A LIFE OUTSIDE OF THIS AND HONESTLY MY INTEREST TO THIS FANDOM HAS BEEN DYING QUITE RAPIDLY._**

 **I hate to say that, but it is true. I haven't been as interested in this fandom as I used to be. Like many other writers, I'm just not inspired much by the show anymore. Some of the rescues they do now are really weird and usually quite repetitive. Of course, they are aimed to entertain 6 year olds so it's not like it's made for me. I still read and follow numerous stories and authors on here, and will continue to do so, but I think once I've made this one-shot with Marshall, I'll be done writing-wise. This story became much longer than I intended and it ate up a lot of my free time.**

 **I'm glad there were people who enjoyed it, and I thank you all for your continued support throughout it all.**

* * *

 _Reviews:_

 **Web2theweb1:** I'm glad you enjoyed the humour I dotted about in the stories, and I'm sorry if that humour seemed to vanish towards the end. I have tried to keep it present throughout but there are some scenes that really wouldn't have benefited from a shoe-horned in slapstick gag. I hope this ending was happy enough for you.

 **The Atlas Guardian:** And more you have received. I hope the ending was enough for you and glad you enjoyed the story so far.

 **Chase:** Sorry if it was confusing. I did try to make the layout as simple as possible, but I was experimenting with a new writing style I hadn't used before which I suppose did make it a little complex in that chapter.

 **Goost:** Well... Zuma was not entirely blameless but yeah, he did nothing wrong in the long run.

 **Zuma Lover:** Hope this chapter answered your question. I only involved the usual 6 pups, Ryder and name-dropped Everest and Mayor Goodway here and there.

 **MsWicked99:** Her lack of judgement paired with her blinding desire is what drove her to do such a stupid thing, hopefully that was clear in this chapter. I'm glad you've enjoyed the story, thank you!

 **Max waspace:** Yes...

 **SwarmX:** Thank you. I am in love with yours too. In fact, you are one of the authors that inspired me to write my own. So thank you.


	7. Chapter 7: A little extra something

_**Little sneaky extra fun for you guys since I love you so much xxx**_

* * *

Ryder was unsure of the amount of truth in the story Chase had given him. Something felt off with the details the others added in.

It hardly seemed realistic that they were simply playing tug-rope when suddenly a raccoon sprung from a tree and gnawed at Zuma's leg, causing Skye to run over and trip on the way, covering her in mud and grass only for Chase to scare it away and Marshall to fix up Zuma's leg.

Sure, maybe it was possible, considering all the things that had happened in Adventure Bay, a stray raccoon attacking one of his pups in the open was hardly a huge pill to swallow, but still...

Usually, he would be one to trust his pups, but something told him otherwise. He bid them all goodnight and went upstairs, but did not stop at his room, instead he let the elevator continue right up to the control deck of the lookout tower. Placing a mug down on the table, he opened his pup-pad and opened up the security files from the day on the big screen.

He sat down, watching the footage from the moment he left. Everything seemed in order. He took a sip from his hot chocolate, before wishing he didn't, spraying it all over the floor in front of him as he watched Zuma and Skye share a kiss in the corner of the screen. "What the f-" Ryder then gasped as he saw Zuma hurled across the garden and pinned down by his second in command.

" _Paw Patrol_..." Ryder said grimly. The pups sat up, looking at each other in panic and fear.

"To the lookout".


	8. UPDATE MESSAGES

**So. I didn't want to make another chapter, but by the amount of reviews I've been given with questions, I feel it necessary to.**

 _ **I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT IF YOU ARE USING A GUEST ACCOUNT TO COMMENT ON MY STORIES, I CANNOT PM YOU TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS AS YOU DO NOT HAVE AN ACCOUNT.**_

 _ **I WOULD USUALLY ANSWER GUEST COMMENTS IN THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS BUT AS THERE ARE NO MORE CHAPTERS TO THIS STORY, I OBVIOUSLY CANNOT ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.**_

 _ **IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ASK ME QUESTIONS, YOU MUST HAVE AN ACTUAL FANFICTION ACCOUNT. (Giving yourself a name on a guest account doesn't make it any different).**_

 **I apologise to anyone else who got this update message and it doesn't apply to you.**

* * *

 **Zuma Lover:**

 _"Uh kinda of answer it but you didn't answer my previous question. and I am waiting for you answer about Swift in my new series. Could I use him or not?"_

 __I can't answer all the questions your sending me because, despite giving yourself a name on here, you are doing it via a guest account. I'm not sure of who Swift is. I can't really give permission for you to use the character as I don't own any OCs. The only OC I recognise named Swift is from Mokochii's story, Paw Patrol origins.

 _"Now we are getting somewhere. In the next chapter right? Do you still take OCs characters in this story? Cause I know Cooper would great in this one. What do you think?"_

Umm.. Sorry to disappoint you, but, Chapter 6 was the final chapter. Chapter 7 was just a short extra I chucked in because I thought it was a little funny and obviously Ryder would find out. But the actual ending to the story was Chapter 6. It was originally just meant to be 5 chapters so don't be too surprised.  
I don't like using OCs just because they're very difficult to work with. Sometimes, they work brilliantly in a story. Once more, the best example I can think of for this is Mokochii's Paw Patrol Origins, as those OCs fit into the story but are not there when they refer to the present.

I sometimes feel as if OCs are added in and then given too much attention and it draws away from the actual characters of the show. Not to mention, they're given very cheesy abilities that just seem to be there to bend the plot.

 **mandy**

 _"This is good. Will there be to this one in the new one to this one."_

I'm... Uh... I'm sorry I'm just not sure what it is you're trying to ask. Thank you, I'm glad you thought it was good, but I assume your question is asking if the story will continue, and sorry to say, it won't. This was a short story to show a conflict between Chase and Skye as they always seem to be paired together, I wanted something a little less conventional. It's been hit or miss.

 **Chase**

Sorry buddy, there are no more chapters to this story.

 **Guest**

 _"If I have to be onhest i thought your characters were really wacky, all over the place and out of shape for most of the story but the way you ended it is nice and for me also brought the story back up. Also it didn't really make sense near the middle where skye said she didn't like chase but later thought she had to feel something for him but then at the end saying that she would take any chance to be with him. And last but not least in a couple of years for dogs is ages or if you mean dog years that would be barely anything but overall GREAT STORY AND GOOD WORK I WISH YOU GOOD LICK ON YOUR NEXT STORY"_

First off, thank you for taking the time to leave such a big review. Was a little confused on why it was in three sections but realised you were reviewing multiple chapters.

I do agree with you, to an extent on the "wackiness" of the characters. The story was short and emotions changed very quickly from good to bad. But at the same time, I still wanted the pups to act like themselves when the story wasn't very serious, e.g. Marshall being clumsy or Zuma making jokes and being his usual chilled self. Sorry if it came across as wacky, I'll work on that balance in the future. (It is easier to balance the seriousness with jokes in longer stories).

I never said that Skye was not in love with Chase. (Chapter 4 is when she becomes involved in the plan and mentions her feelings). She didn't tell Chase how she felt as she felt the same as he did. She was going to wait until Chase confessed because she didn't want to rush him, but over time, she began to feel sorry for him as he would be awkward and uncomfortable around her, so she wanted to sort it out.

At the end, she appears desperate because she's missed her opportunity to confess her love and end up in the relationship she's been wanting for years, but Chase no longer wants that.

I refer to years in the story in human years. Which, is a long time. If we go by the pup's ages, then Chase and Skye are 7 human years old. (According to the Wikia page which got its sources from some official NickJr place somewhere). 7 years is quite a long time.

Sorry this story wasn't 100% for you, but I'm glad you enjoyed it nonetheless. My next story might take ages for me to get it out, as I have no plans to begin writing again soon due to a busy schedule coming up for the next few weeks. But thank you.


End file.
